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Asif threatens defamation suit against ACC over allegations National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan has threatened to file a defamation case against the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), demanding an apology within 24 hours over what he described as false and damaging allegations of corruption against him.
Asif, who served as an adviser to the former interim government and was in charge of the Youth and Sports Ministry as well as the Local Government Ministry, said he had no personal involvement in either of the two incidents over which the ACC has launched an inquiry.
He alleged that an attempt was being made to deliberately implicate him in the case.
Speaking at a press conference at the NCP’s temporary central office in Banglamotor on Wednesday night, Asif sought to explain his position regarding the allegations.
Earlier in the day, ACC Deputy Director Aktarul Islam said there was “preliminary evidence” supporting allegations against Asif and three others. He later reportedly withdrew from that position.
Referring to the matter, Asif said the ACC should apologise to him within 24 hours and take steps to ensure that reports published citing the commission were withdrawn.
“I would urge the ACC to apologise within 24 hours for the defamation caused to me and withdraw the reports published quoting you. Otherwise, I will be compelled to take legal action and file a defamation case,” he said.
According to the ACC allegations, 38 upazila youth development officers were removed from their acting responsibilities and subsequently posted, allegedly involving corruption worth Tk 7.6 million. The ACC also alleged irregularities involving Tk 20 million in the promotion of 150 officials.
The allegations totalled Tk 27.6 million and named Asif, the then and current Youth and Sports Secretary, a joint secretary and a deputy secretary, he said.
Asif rejected the allegations, saying the claim regarding Tk 7.6 million had no connection with the actual sequence of events.
He said that in 2021, 112 tenth-grade assistant upazila youth development officers were given acting responsibilities as ninth-grade upazila youth development officers without being formally promoted.
Under existing rules, he said, an official cannot remain in an acting position for more than six months. However, the 112 officials remained in their positions until 2025.
The 2021 order was subsequently challenged in court and was declared illegal in 2025, Asif said.
By the time the court delivered its verdict, only 38 of the 112 officials remained in the acting positions, while others had either retired or received regular promotions.
As part of implementing the court order, the acting responsibilities of the remaining 38 officials were cancelled and they were returned to their original tenth-grade positions, he said.
“The ACC has presented the matter completely in the opposite way,” Asif said.
He said the removal of the 38 officials created vacancies, which, along with other positions that had fallen vacant over time, brought the total number of vacant assistant upazila youth development officer posts to 182.
The ministry sought the opinion of the Public Service Commission (PSC) on filling those positions through promotion, he said.
Although the ACC referred to 150 positions, Asif said promotions were actually given to 182 officials.
According to him, the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Ministry of Public Administration jointly prepared a seniority list in accordance with the rules and sent it to the PSC.
The relevant officials’ service records, annual confidential reports, disciplinary records and other necessary information were also submitted to the PSC, he said.
The PSC reviewed the information and recommended promotions for the first 182 candidates, all of whom were subsequently promoted.
“The promotions were made entirely on the basis of the PSC’s recommendations,” Asif said.
He argued that allegations of corruption could have arisen if officials lower down the seniority list had been promoted by bypassing the PSC recommendations.
He also questioned whether the ACC intended to investigate the PSC over its role in the promotion process.
Asif further claimed that he had no personal or official involvement in either of the two administrative processes.
He said postings and promotions involving district-level youth development officers were matters that could be decided at the ministerial or adviser level, while issues concerning assistant upazila youth development officers at the upazila level were settled by the secretary and did not come before the adviser.
“I was not the signing authority for either of the two orders. The secretary was the signing authority. Officially, therefore, there was no scope for my direct involvement in either process,” he said.
Asif said the sequence of events described in the ACC allegations did not correspond to the actual administrative process.
He maintained that every step, including the implementation of the court verdict, cancellation of acting responsibilities, creation of vacancies and subsequent promotions based on PSC recommendations, had followed the prescribed procedures.
He called on the authorities to thoroughly examine the relevant files and administrative procedures concerning the postings and promotions before reaching any conclusion.
“I am ready to provide all necessary information, documents and cooperation to the relevant authorities to establish the truth,” he said.
Asif also accused the ACC of causing personal damage to his reputation through the deputy director’s initial remarks about finding preliminary evidence.
He said the official later told journalists in an ACC beat reporters’ WhatsApp group that the reference to “preliminary evidence” had slipped out and should not be reported.
However, reports published on the basis of the earlier remarks were not corrected or withdrawn, Asif said.
“This has personally defamed me,” he said, reiterating that he would pursue legal action if the ACC did not apologise and address the reports within 24 hours.
