A routine audit of public expenditure has cast a harsh spotlight on the Department of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), where a junior Grade-9 non-cadre official faces mounting scrutiny over his protracted tenure at headquarters, foreign trips, and alleged administrative influence.
The official at the centre of the controversy, Assistant Network Engineer Jonaed Siddique, joined the department in 2022 alongside approximately 64 other officers. Despite holding a junior post, Siddique has remained posted at the central office in Dhaka for over four years. Formal complaint documents highlight that the official organogram of the department does not actually accommodate an Assistant Network Engineer post within its administrative wing.
Regardless of this structural anomaly, Siddique reportedly exercised significant influence within the administration. He served as the Personal Assistant to the Director General, overseeing critical tasks such as staff transfers, deputation assignments, vehicle allocations, and foreign travel approvals. Allegations suggest that senior officers were frequently overlooked for temporary district-level leadership roles, with Siddique allegedly manipulating file notes to favour junior candidates.
Most striking are the revelations surrounding his international travel. Whilst around 70 senior officers within the department have allegedly never received a single foreign training opportunity or official trip, Siddique has travelled abroad eight times within four years. His destinations included South Korea, China, Dubai, Istanbul, and Singapore.
Financial management surrounding high-profile events managed by the department has also come under official inspection. An audit memorandum (Memo No. 13) issued on 5 April 2026 by the PTST Audit Directorate raised formal objections regarding an event held during the 2024–25 financial year. Records indicate that on 15 January 2025, the department contracted Conference & Exhibition Management Services Limited (CEMS) for Tk 54.81 lakh to manage physical services for the 26th International Robot Olympiad. Upon settlement of the final bill of Tk 50.14 lakh on 22 June 2025, auditors discovered an unauthorized charge of Tk 1.30 lakh logged under ‘Miscellaneous and Incidental Costs’. The audit noted that spending under this head required prior explicit authorization, which was entirely absent from the file.
While the audit report directly identifies procedural breaches and state financial loss in the Robot Olympiad event, broader allegations—including tender manipulation, irregular billing in multi-million taka events, and cash-for-posting schemes—remain detailed in formal complaints awaiting independent departmental verification.
The convergence of official audit objections and serious administrative complaints has prompted calls for a comprehensive inquiry. Reviewing official Government Orders (GOs), funding sources for foreign travel, tender files, and internal transfer notes will be crucial to establishing accountability within the department.
