Bribe demanded from DAG over land deeds, offered Tk 5,000 discount despite introduction

Even after showing his ID card, two employees of Kushtia Sub-Registrar's Office demanded Tk 30,000 bribe from Deputy Attorney General (DAG) BM Abdur Rafell for preparing deeds of his family land. The deeds were completed after bribing them Tk 10,000, the DAG alleged.

When he went to the office of Sub-Registrar Subrata Kumar Singha in Kushtia Sadar upazila yesterday, peon Akkas Ali and clerk Mukul Hossain demanded Tk 30,000 bribe, the DAG told our Kushtia correspondent.

He asked them whether the two would give him any receipt but they said they could not.

DAG Rafell then showed them his ID card. After they came to know his identity, the duo said they would give him a Tk 5,000 concession.   

"I left the sub-registrar's office after they demanded the bribe. My elder brother, Advocate Golam Rosul, eventually gave them Tk 10,000 and completed the deed yesterday (Tuesday)," DAG Rafell said.

"The sub-registrar called me on the phone and requested to take back the money (Tk 10,000). I replied that I didn't give the money as bribe and therefore, I will not go to his office to take it back," he added.

The DAG said he along with his elder brother went to the office for the registry of a bank's mortgage paper so that he could take a bank loan through mortgaging a land. Some officials of a government bank were also accompanying him.

After the DAG made a Facebook post, narrating the incident, officials of the sub-registrar's office and deed writers held a meeting. The called the DAG and apologised for the incident.

According to sources at the sub-registrar's office, it was a bank's mortgage deeds which were supposed to be handled by the bank officials. So, the office was not supposed to demand any money for that.

"It was a government office. They demanded the money even after I introduced myself. I was very disappointed," the DAG said.

Contacted, Sub-Registrar Subrata Kumar Singha said he knew nothing about the incident. He said he completed the deeds within the shortest time.

They are looking into the matter, he said, adding, "Necessary actions will be taken if the allegation is found true."