The national committee on e-commerce yesterday recommended that the commerce ministry hand over the case of Evaly, an e-commerce company, to the home ministry for taking legal action for its anomalies in business.

Hafizur Rahman, additional secretary to the commerce ministry, told this to journalists after a meeting with the national committee at his secretariat office in the capital.

He said the national committee also suggested sending the names of nine other errant e-commerce companies, whose names come to the fore for anomalies in goods delivery and financial irregularities, to the home ministry after investigation by Bangladesh Bank.

The companies are: Dhamaka, e-Orange, Sirajgonj Shop, Aladiner Prodip, Qcoom, Boom Boom, Adyan Mart, Need.com.bd and Alesha Mart, according to the commerce ministry.

However, the names of the nine companies would be sent to the home ministry for legal action after probe by the central bank, Hafizur said without citing any specific timeline.

Quoting lawyers, he said the commerce ministry cannot conduct audits against any private companies as the central bank on Sunday asked the ministry to conduct audits in nine e-commerce companies to find out their financial anomalies.

"We have already informed the home ministry about the financial anomalies of Evaly and some other e-commerce companies and again we will inform the home ministry for taking actions against the companies as per the recommendations of the national committee," Hafizur said.

The committee, headed by Hafizur, also the director general of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Cell under the commerce ministry, widely discussed the issues of some e-commerce companies, especially Evaly, e-Orange and Dhamaka.

The committee, comprised of lawyers and officials of different ministries, suggested not taking any punitive actions against the errant e-commerce companies by the commerce ministry, but referring it to the home ministry.

The committee said the commerce ministry cannot take punitive actions against the errant e-commerce companies as it is an issue of the home ministry.

However, Hafizur, while talking to journalists, said the commerce ministry will further review the committee's recommendations as its ultimate target is to protect the customers' interests because many of the innocent people invested money in some of the flawed e-commerce companies and they are cheated.

"We will have to protect the interests of the innocent customers as they have invested knowingly or unknowingly in the e-commerce companies," he said in reply to queries from journalists.

The committee mainly discussed the next course of action against the errant companies for their wrongdoings.