Mujibul Haque Chunnu. Star's file photo

Jatiya Party senior lawmaker Mujibul Haque Chunnu yesterday demanded the government issue an order asking civil-military bureaucrats and business persons to file wealth statements in two to three months.

Taking part in the discussion on the proposed national budget for 2021-22 fiscal year in parliament, the JP co-chairman said he, along with all other MPs, had submitted his wealth statement on an affidavit to the Election Commission before the 2018 national polls.

The lawmaker said he was ready to submit his up-to-date wealth statement in seven days if the government asked for it. "And if a single taka is found beyond my declared wealth statement, the government can confiscate it."

"Through the Speaker [Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury], I urge that all civil and military bureaucrats and business persons, who have beautiful homes and cars, submit their up-to-date wealth statements."

Mujibul said there would be no shortage of money for the budget if the finance minister looked into the matter.

Coming down hard on Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, the lawmaker said the minister asked MPs to give him the names of those who have laundered money abroad.

"Are we in charge of the Ministry of Finance? You will find out the names. In the budget speech, you gave a 10-page statement on the comments of different foreigners about the rosy picture of the country's economy."

Referring to a report by Global Financial Integrity, a Washington-based think tank, Mujibul said Tk 64,000 crore is laundered from Bangladesh every year on average. "You [finance minister] have a lot of agencies. You should find it out."

The former state minister said he saw on Facebook that an MP bought a home in Canada. "The MP's wife is walking around the home in Canada."

'A SUPERMODEL OF CORRUPTION'

Terming the health minister a "supermodel of corruption", BNP MP GM Siraj yesterday urged the prime minister to overhaul the health ministry to set a precedent of "zero tolerance" against corruption.

The health minister said accusing his ministry of corruption had become fashionable, the BNP MP told parliament.

Siraj said the nation knows that Mithu, Afzal, Azad, Razzak, Sajjad, Humayun, Mamun, Sattar, Shahed, and Malek are "models of corruption.

"And you [health minister] are the supermodel of corruption."

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal lawmaker Hasanul Huq Inu alleged that although the finance minister correctly identified the priority sectors, the budgetary allocations in those were not right.

Talking about lack of good governance in the health sector, the JSD president said everybody knows what is happening in public purchases in all sectors, including healthcare.

He mentioned that there is only corruption news in the health sector and it received a low allocation, but could not utilise the amount properly.

"They just earned bad names over corruption in whatever they have done in the name of purchase. As a result, the country does not get oxygen plants in right time." Inu said.