Faruk Wasif, a top organizer of the meticulously designed July uprising in civil society, worked as the planning editor of the Daily Samakal before his reward appointment at the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) on September 18, 2024.
He used to write against corruption and authoritarian regimes before joining the PIB. He soon became an abuser and corrupt inside the organization but kept talking about ethics and slandering the media for criticisms of the interim government. The same did Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and his advisers. But, as months passed by, people started to learn about their massive corruption, irregularities and nepotism.
According to a report by the daily Kaler Kantho, Faruk Wasif gobbled Tk24 lakh in two days by showing fake vouchers.
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On February 18 and 19 last year, a huge amount of money was spent on several programs centered on “Tarunyar Utsab 2025” at the PIB office. Kaler Kantho has collected the bills-vouchers prepared by PIB against four of these programs. After examining the documents, it was found that the expenditure details of the four programs are given as follows:
1. Music evening on February 18-19, 2025; Venue: PIB Auditorium. Total cost: Tk5,73,000.
2. July Uprising film, photography, graffiti and video exhibition on the same dates. Total cost: Tk4,67,500.
3. Seminar on the July Uprising on February 18. Total cost: Tk6,91,500.
The PIB was supposed to give each of 200 participants an allowance of Tk1,000, alongside training materials, like folders, pens, notebooks, etc. In addition, 50 participants from outside Dhaka were to get a travel allowance of Tk2,000 each, honorarium of five discussants Tk10,000 each, 250 packets of breakfast at Tk200 each, and 250 lunch packets at Tk500. The remaining expenses are shown for various sectors, including decorations.
4. Seminar on direction and philosophy of Mass Uprising on February 19, 2025. Total cost Tk6,65,500.
For this seminar, 200 participants were supposed to get Tk1,000 each as allowances and training materials. Moreover, travel allowances of 25 participants Tk2,000 each, honorarium of five discussants Tk10,000 each, 250 breakfast packets at Tk200 each, and 250 lunch packets at Tk500 each.
Thus, a total of about Tk24 lakh was allocated for the four events.
Journalists are surprised
Looking through the PIB documents, it is seen that the expenditure accounts of all four events have been shown separately. First, 15 days before the event, the organization’s senior research officer and coordinator, Golam Murshed, personally signed the expense account and submitted it to the Director General, Faruk Wasif, who signed the account document on the same day.
Then, vouchers were submitted against the expenses of each account, each page of which has Golam Murshed’s signature. There is no room for doubt in this.
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SM Azad of the daily Kaler Kantho received an allowance of Tk1,000 for attending the February 19 seminar. But SM Azad resigned from his job in 2022 and went to Portugal. When contacted, he expressed surprise after hearing everything and said that there was no question of attending the PIB seminar or receiving the allowance last year. He confirmed that his signature was forged.
After this incident, Kaler Kantho launched an extensive investigation. Most of the list that PIB billed as 400 people receiving a total of Tk4 lakh allowance in two seminars were journalists from Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna. At least 70 of them were called and asked. Everyone said that they were not aware of any such seminar; far from it, they attended or received the allowance. When a photo of their signature was sent on the list, everyone rejected it; some sent samples of their real signatures, so that the evidence of forgery of the PIB signature was clear.
Jasim Uddin Mahir, a senior reporter of Dhaka Post who was on the list, said: “I did not attend any such seminar. I did not receive any allowance. The signature on the document is not mine.”
Journalist Jamil Khan of The Daily Star said: “I don’t know who or what did this using my name. I didn’t go to that seminar; I didn’t even sign.”
Journalist Fazlur Rahman of Daily Janakantha, who is on the list, said: “This is a fraud using my name. It is a disgrace to me.”
Journalist Shamsuzzaman Shaheen from Khulna sent a sample of his signature and said: “Fake signature. I don’t even know about that seminar.” When he was sent the names and signatures of eight other journalists from Khulna, he checked and said that none of them had gone to that seminar. All are fake.
Discussants are surprised
It has been confirmed that there is no teacher at Chittagong University named Shahidullah Lipon whose name and signature are on the bill of the alleged seminar of PIB. However, Lipon is the nickname of Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahid Ullah of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism. He has participated in PIB programs at various times. When he was informed about this, he was as if he had read it from the sky. He told Kaler Kantho: “I did not participate in any seminar last year. Even in the last three-four years, I have not been to PIB. Action should be taken after investigating who is behind such corruption and fraud.” Apart from this, no match was found between Professor Shahid Ullah’s signature and the signature found in the PIB documents.
In the investigation, according to the PIB list, no teacher named Khan Mohammad Bahadur was found at Noakhali Science and Technology University. There is a teacher named Dr. Newaz Mohammad Bahadur, who is a professor in the Department of Chemistry. He told Kaler Kantho that he has not participated in any PIB program so far. He is not aware of any such seminar; he has never received an invitation.
When contacted by another teacher with the name, he requested not to be named and said: “I do not remember attending any PIB seminar in February last year. I attended a workshop for journalists in the district in September or October. But I don’t remember going to any event at PIB for the July issue.”
However, the PIB has claimed that 10 speakers were paid Tk10,000 each for two seminars, totaling Tk100,000.
Voucher fraud
A bill of Tk60,000 was charged for binding photographs and graffiti. Of this, Tk20,000 was charged to Al-Amin Art Gallery for 100 bindings on February 9, and the same amount for binding photographs and expenses was charged in the bill of February 11. Surprisingly, the memo number in both bills is the same—281.
Based on this bill, the investigators went to the address of 36 Purana Paltan recently. About three months ago, the name of the institution changed, and it is now Bismillah Art Gallery. However, the owner and employees are the same.
When shown the bill to an employee named Naeem, he thought for a while and said: “I don’t remember anyone binding so many pictures in the last two-three years. Besides, the handwriting on the bill is not the same as anyone here.”
The manager of the establishment (who did not want to be named) said that many people request a blank voucher by binding one or two pictures. Perhaps they have written on the blank voucher as they wish.
Another establishment at the same address, Sohel Frame Gallery, has a bill of Tk20,000 dated February 6, 2025 (memo number-1388). However, the establishment is not at that address. It was found on the ground floor of Ibrahim Mansion, at 11 Purana Paltan. Seeing the bill, owner Sohel laughed and said: “Brother, my handwriting is so beautiful!” He said that this writing does not match the writing of their manager Sabbir, either.
Three vouchers were made in the name of the event titled “Tarunyar Utsab” on the pad of a company called “The New Noor & Co. Decorators” showing bills of Tk60,000, Tk30,000 and Tk25,000. The categories were written as banners, festoons, gates, tables, flower decorations, etc.
The office was found at shop number 9 of Subastu Taj Villa in Segunbagicha in the capital. But no equipment for making banners and festoons was seen there. There is no computer, printing machine or design setup.
The shop manager Helal Mia expressed surprise after seeing the PIB voucher and said: “The pad looks like ours, but the writing or signature is not ours.”
There are two signatures in the names of Kashem and Shahid on the three vouchers. But even after searching the list of current and former employees of the shop, no one with that name was found. Shop owner Rajib Ahmed said: “It is often seen that after the work is done, someone asks for a blank voucher. Saying that he will adjust other expenses. They have to pay for the sake of business. Maybe they took the voucher at some point and copied it themselves. But in the last two-three years, we have not done any work with PIB.”
Another surprising thing is that some vouchers show lighting and banner-festoon work at the same time. However, the two shops concerned clearly state that they do not make banner-festoons.
Two bills were made on the pad of Bismillah Restaurant in the capital’s Shantinagar Bazar Road area for 250 lunch packets priced at Tk500 each; a total of Tk2.5 lakh. The type of food was not mentioned in the voucher.
The shop’s old accounts were checked on site. The people concerned said that at that time they did not receive any such large order from the PIB. The shop employees said that chicken biryani, which costs Tk150-170, is usually served at big events. If you buy white rice, beef, pulses and vegetables, the maximum is Tk300-350. But they do not have Tk500 packets here. An employee said: “This is the first time I have heard of a Tk500 lunch packet for a function of 250 people. It may be Tk500 if you sit here and eat, but it is very unusual as a packet.”
A voucher used by this hotel was collected. It is light red in color. But the voucher submitted by the PIB is black and white. Saiful Islam, the assistant manager of the shop, said: “Most of our bills are done by machine. If you write it by hand, there is a specific format. The PIB has no match with that. The signature is also fake.”
He said: “Sometimes, they may have taken a blank voucher, photocopied it and then written it themselves and used it.”
In both the said seminars, the breakfast bill was shown in the name of Haq Bread and Confectionery. Visiting the bakery at 128 New Kakrail Road at Shantinagar intersection in the capital, the investigators showed the two memos to the manager, who said that their handwriting does not match. “I do not even remember whether 500 packages worth 200 taka were sold to them last year.”
No seminar on Facebook page
The PIB regularly publishes pictures and videos of all its programs on its own Facebook page. Although the pictures of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Youth Festival-2025 on February 18-19 are shared on the Facebook page, no pictures or videos of the two seminars held with 400 participants are shared on their page.
However, the matter of mobile journalism training in the seminar room of PIB on February 12 of that year is also there. But there is no press release about those two seminars, nor is there any such information in the media or social media. Even after searching the PIB website, no information about those two seminars was found.
Where are all these places?
Of the four events, only the venue for the musical evening is listed as the PIB auditorium. For the remaining three, it is listed as the PIB, but the specific venue name is not mentioned. On a visit to the two buildings of PIB, it was seen that Building No. 1 has an auditorium with 238 seats and a seminar room with 60 seats. Building No. 2 has a seminar room with 60 seats and two classrooms with 30 seats. Therefore, there is no room to hold a seminar with 200 people at once during the youth festival.
A PIB official told Kaler Kantho on condition of anonymity: “No seminar was held during the youth festival on those two days.”
Golam Murshed blames DG
When Kaler Kantho’s investigative team confronted Golam Murshed and other PIB officials to take their statements, they initially denied all the allegations loudly. But when Kaler Kantho’s team presented all the documents and evidence one by one, Golam Murshed got nervous and confessed to all the wrongdoings.
He frankly said that he was forced to do all this on the orders of the PIB DG, Faruk Wasif.
Asked about irregularities and corruption, Faruk Wasif said: “A bill like this was created by a vicious circle of PIB, but I did not approve it. And no money was spent in this sector.”
“I have to sign many files every day. So, after signing such a file, I cancelled it later when the issue of a fake bill came to light.
“When we need to spend money in some sector, a bill is drawn up under the signature of some official. So, a bill for the production of a movie of the ministry is drawn up under the signature of Golam Murshed Saheb and given to them.”
Asked about admission of other officials, Faruk Wasif said: “There is no basis for such a statement. It is false. Rather, I canceled the approval of the fake bill file. The information that is being given to me is not correct. A group of PIB members is spreading such rumors to question our work.”
Blatant lies
Although PIB DG Faruk Wasif falsely claimed that the corruption allegations were false, Kaler Kantho’s investigation also revealed that PIB officials passed the bills prepared in the name of four programs in June 2025 by showing that they had already paid. Later, Golam Murshed withdrew Tk23,97,500 in four checks from Sonali Bank’s Viqarunnisa Noon School Branch in the name of PIB’s “Editor’s Audit.”
The investigation revealed that this money was withdrawn from the bank account (1635001000467) through two checks on June 29 and two checks on June 30. The four checks from that bank were for withdrawals of Tk6,91,500, Tk4,67,500, Tk6,65,500 and Tk5,73,000, respectively. These amounts exactly match the amounts mentioned in the approved bills for the four controversial PIB events.