DHAKA, 6 February 2008 — An employee of Bangladesh’s biggest state-owned gas company who earned a mere $100 a month allegedly used his position to pocket a colossal $145 million in bribes over 12 years, an official said yesterday. Authorities here described the deception as one of the country’s biggest corruption scandals, with countless workers using the company to siphon millions out of public coffers. He identified the man as Abdul Kader Mollah, a former sales assistant with the Titas Gas Distribution Company. “As a low level employee, he was to supervise gas distribution in one of the country’s biggest industrial areas. And he made the money there,” a company spokesman said of Mollah. Mollah, who has not yet been arrested, insists he was only worth $66 million, and that he made the money through hard work, including setting up textile plants.
Consular Visit
JEDDAH, 6 February 2008 — A consular team of the Embassy of Pakistan will visit Tabuk on Feb. 7 for rendering consular services to the Pakistani community in that region. The team will establish its office at Sehaab Hotel, Tabuk, 50th Airport Road (04-4211880/4211534). Prepared passports will be delivered to the applicants at the hotel from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Feb. 21.
Bangla Teams
JEDDAH, 6 February 2008 — A consular team of Bangladesh Consulate General will render on-the-sport consular, remittance promotion and labor welfare services on Feb. 7 and 8 to the community living in Jizan and adjacent cities. The team will stay at Hotel Al-Atheel, Jizan (687-8465/106, 141). Another consular team will visit Dammam and stay at Dammam Hotel (03-832-9000) on Feb. 21 (from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and on Feb. 22 (from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.) It will be at Kalpaka Restaurant, Jubail, from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
