Sabbir Hassan, a deputy director of Bangladesh`s anti-graft commission, was filmed taking a one million taka ($14,000) bribe at his office Sunday night, Colonel Sazzad Hossain of the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) police told AFP.
"He demanded five million taka from the owner of (garment export company) 4H Group, threatening to prosecute him under the country`s money laundering law after the group`s container went missing in the port," Hossain said.
The businessman agreed to pay one-fifth of the amount but then alerted RAB to the corruption and they arranged to secretly film the meeting at which the bribe would be handed over, Hossain said.
"We have a video of him accepting the bribe," he said, adding the official had been arrested.
Graft is widespread in impoverished Bangladesh with the country the worst on Berlin-based graft watchdog Transparency International`s (TI) global list of most corrupt nations for five years from 2001 to 2005.
Bangladesh had improved 12 places by 2010, but a recent study by the local chapter of TI showed the country`s government officials, judiciary and police are still widely seen as being corrupt.
(Uu.G003/H-AK/P003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
