PROBE INTO PROSHIKA ? 2 : Foreign education for Faruque?s son with donor money

New Age serialises the highlights of an NGO Bureau report on an official audit of Proshika, an NGO that allegedly misappropriated Tk 110 crore of money meant for development in the five years between 1996 and 2001.

Tuesday March 02 2004 07:43:57 AM BDT

NAZMUL AHSAN

Qazi Rubayyat Ahmed, son of Proshika president Qazi Faruque Ahmed, went to the University of Rochester in the US for higher studies, paying over Tk 74 lakh channelled from the NGO?s funds.

The money was released between 1996 and 1999 in favour of Faruque?s son in violation of NGO Affairs Bureau instructions and in a way that was not transparent, said an official audit report that found the NGO boss guilty of ?gross irregularities of fund?.

?The Proshika president awarded scholarships to his son and close ones abusing his authority,? it said.

As per the budget approved by the bureau in favour of Proshika, no outsiders other than employees of the NGO were entitled to get money for studies abroad from Proshika?s fund, the audit mentioned.

Of the amount disbursed for Faruque?s sons education, Tk 7,077,586 ($140,886) was sent from Proshika?s foreign currency account (No 01613129801) with the Motijheel branch of Standard Chartered Bank, while the rest of the money was transacted from ANZ Grindlays Bank.

The audit said Proshika had opened two FC accounts with those banks and transferred two per cent of all foreign donations to those accounts without any prior permission from the bureau.

?Opening the two FC accounts to bear the expenses of the Proshika?s top officials? dependents on heads like foreign study and foreign tours proves the ill motive of Proshika,? observed the audit report.

Rubayyat, in an application, sought a four-year ?scholarship? to enrol in an undergraduate course in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Rochester. The application did not mention the exact amount required.

?Faruque approved the application without specifying the amount of scholarship. The process was not transparent,? the audit report said.

The ?scholarship? money was drawn unlawfully from the operation fund of the NGO, although Proshika claimed the money was channelled from the staff welfare fund, the audit said.

Such heads of expenses were not found in the audited financial statements of the staff welfare fund.

The total amount spent from the FC accounts was over Tk 93 lakh during the period between 1994 and 1996, the report said. The remaining amount was spent unlawfully against the head of awarding foreign ?scholarships? in favour of dependents of other top officials of Proshika.

Anayet Karim, son of Proshika vice-president Mahbubul Karim, also received Tk 1,940,685 as ?scholarship? for studying at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Anayet sought Tk 687,320 for a three-year bachelor?s degree in environment, but was given Tk 1,940,685, which the report termed as another irregularity committed by the Proshika chief.

Also, Tk 557,304 was awarded to the son of Monoranjan Saha, a top official of the NGO, for studying in India.
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