TIB is concerned about the ban on journalists entering Bangladesh Bank

2024 April 26 21:58:08

Own Correspondent: Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern over the imposition of restrictions on journalists’ access to Bangladesh Bank, the financial sector regulatory body and the last resort of people’s money.

The TIB termed such a move as an unprecedented obstacle to the media’s professional responsibility to disclose information on the banking and financial sector in the public interest.

In a press release sent to the media on Friday (April 26), TIB said, according to the news published in the media, the media and journalists were facing obstacles in accessing the Bangladesh Bank for more than a month to gather information on the banking and financial sector. Desperately seeking the help of the governor to solve the problem, no positive result came.

TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman referred to it as an unethical and arbitrary step towards ensuring the legitimate right of the people to know information. He asked the officials of Bangladesh Bank, ‘What message does the top leadership of Bangladesh Bank want to send to everyone through the decision to stop the free flow of information when the banking sector is plagued by various crises including bad debt, financial fraud and fraud and lack of overall good governance? Or what Bangladesh Bank wants to achieve through this? However, is this initiative to hide the information of their own failure to establish good governance in the banking sector that has reached the edge of the abyss? Or is it an attempt to protect the interests of those who are responsible for the crisis in the sector, including defaulters and fraud?’

Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, in the past few years, most of the information that has been published in the public interest about the financial sector scam of thousands of crores of rupees has come from the source of free access of media workers to Bangladesh Bank. He said, ‘But what must be assumed, Bangladesh Bank is working to ensure the continued protection of the criminal circles involved in the irregularities of the sector such as loan defaults, fraud and money laundering and such a reprehensible step is to hide the fact that the policy and leadership of Bangladesh Bank has become a hostage in the hands of the gang. took it.’

At a time when public confidence in the banking sector is on the rise, or when the central bank itself is visibly confused about bank mergers in the name of protecting the interests of bank customers, the TIB warns that the siege of secrecy can pose greater dangers.

According to the TIB, it is clear that Bangladesh Bank is unwilling to consider giving back unfettered access to journalists, bypassing the bottom line through bureaucratic red tape in the name of training media and journalists on information sensitivity. In the banking sector. International anti-corruption organization has expressed concern about this.

TIB Executive Director said, such behavior is not only an expression of arbitrariness but also indicative of colonial mentality. “Without addressing the issue, the governor’s proposed pass-based system, proposed training, and whatever else, not only imposes an insurmountable restriction on the professional responsibilities of media personnel, particularly investigative reporting, but also results in Bangladesh Bank officials at any level would like to refrain from meeting journalists. It goes without saying that if the relevant journalist publishes the report after the meeting, the specific official will face harassment in the name of administrative accountability. That is, access to information will be practically blocked, people will be deprived of the right to know what is happening in the banking sector, why and who are benefiting from the loss of people’s money.

He said, “Bangladesh Bank authorities should remember that they are supposed to play a role in protecting the public interest, not the defaulters and those responsible for the crisis in the banking sector.”

Considering the overall situation, TIB called for the immediate lifting of the ban to ensure unhindered access of journalists to the central bank.

ShareNews, 26 April 2024