Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh
Rural Homestead: Chattogram
Education:
Mr. Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Finance and Accounting with distinction from the University of Birmingham, UK. He graduated with a Bachelor degree in Commerce with Honours and Master of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Professional Experience:
Mr. Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury is a highly accomplished person, had an illustrious career in the civil service spanning over 33 years before taking Oath as 12th Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Bangladesh. Having an in-depth and broad-based knowledge and experience on matters of Public Financial Management, Administration and Governance, he was a member of Bangladesh Civil Service (Audit and Accounts Cadre) 1984 batch. Prior to assuming the office of Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh on 17th July, 2018, Mr. Chowdhury was Finance Secretary. Before his elevation to the position of Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh, he had served as Deputy Secretary, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Finance Division, Ministry of Finance. He had also held various positions under the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, Controller General of Accounts and Controller General Defence Finance.
During his long and illustrious career in the civil service, Mr. Chowdhury had pioneered the Public Sector Financial Management Reform and was awarded the “Jana Prashashan (Public Administration) Award, 2017” for his contribution to the improvement of Public Service delivery system. He was passionate about introducing eGovernance in Finance and engaged in a supervisory role at the IFMIS (iBAS++) development and implementation process. He led from the front in the development of "Government Pensioners Database" and "Government Employees Database" which brought discipline in the Government Pension and Salary management. He was actively involved in the initial formulation and implementation of PPP Framework in Bangladesh and drafted the PPP Strategy and Policy issued by the Government of Bangladesh. He had steered the formulation of New Budget and Accounting Classification System (BACS) in the Government planning, budgeting and accounting from Fiscal Year 2018-19.
Mr. Chowdhury was instrumental in streamlining the Public Debt Management System and had played an active role in designing 5,10,15,20 Years Treasury Bond (G-Sec) that brought discipline in the Long term budget financing and paved the way for Debt Market Development. Mr. Chowdhury had initiated the process of transferring money directly to various safety net beneficiaries’ accounts including government pension payments through G2P mode that brought revolutionary improvement in the public service delivery system. He had steered the process of formulating the draft of the Financial Reporting Act, 2015, an Act promulgated to streamline the process and bring discipline in the Financial Reporting and Auditing practices of Public Interest Entities (PIEs).
Mr. Chowdhury has introduced the innovative idea of Automated Challan (A-Challan), a Web Portal for receiving government receipts (Tax & Non-tax) through any bank/any branch, online or through Mobile Financial Service (MFS). For government payments, EFT/MICR cheques are being used across the board under his able leadership and guidance. These innovations have created a great comfort zone for Taxpayers in terms of hassle free service, saving time and energy. Now, all government receipts and payments hit the Treasury Single Account (TSA) maintained with Bangladesh Bank almost on a real time basis that brought a profound improvement in the overall PFM, specifically in the area of Cash Management, Fiscal Reporting, Financial Reporting, Internal and External Audit.
His departure from the Finance Ministry in the wake of his taking Oath as Auditor General marked with a Cabinet Resolution passed by the Cabinet in its meeting acknowledging and thanking him for his sincere and dedicated service to the Nation spanning over 32 Years which was published through a notification in the Official Gazette on July 16, 2018.
As a Consultant, Mr. Chowdhury worked in the PFM reform area with World Bank and DFID funded projects. In the past, he worked as Director on the Board of Directors of Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Krishi Bank, Sonali Bank Ltd. (also was acting Chairman), Bangladesh Biman, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd., Eastern Refinery Ltd., Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) and Dhaka BRT Company Ltd. He was also a member of Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Council Member of ICMAB and National Heart Foundation. He was the first MD and CEO of the Government-owned largest Infrastructure Financing Company, BIFFL. He worked as Director to the Board of Directors of SAARC Development Fund (SDF), Headquartered in Bhutan. He was also a Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Bangladesh Industrial and Agricultural Investment Company Limited (SABINCO) and Vice-Chairman of Islamic Development Bank-Bangladesh Islamic Solidarity and Educational Wakf (IsDB-BISEW).
He is a widely travelled person and has visited countries like USA, UK, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Nepal, Japan, Bhutan, Singapore, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Germany, Austria, Fiji, Australia, Thailand, Kuwait, Vietnam, Russia, Ethiopia and Turkey.
Mr. Chowdhury was born in a respected noble Muslim family of Chittagong. In his personal life, he is married. His wife Mrs. Sabina Haque is a teacher by profession. They are blessed with two daughters.
Mr. Masud Ahmed joined Bangladesh Civil Service : Audit and Accounts Cadre in January 1981. After successful completion of Academic training he was posted as Assistant Accountant General (PT&T). During his illustrated career in the Civil Service, Mr. Masud worked in both accounts offices and audit directorates of the Audit and Accounts Department.
Mr. Masud worked as Deputy Accountant General; Chief Accounts Officer, ( Local Government & Rural Development Division; Ministry of Foreign Affairs ); Director of Foreign Aided Project Audit Directorate and Defence Audit Directorate ; Deputy Finance Controller, Joint Finance Controller and Senior Finance Controller of Defence Finance. He is trained in various fields of auditing in India, Singapore and U.S.A.
He also served as Deputy Secretary Ministry of Shipping and Economic Relations Division; Member Finance (Joint Secretary), BEPZA; Managing Director (Additional Secretary), Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust; Director General, Bureau of Manpower Employment & Training; Consultant of FMRP ; Secretary, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs as well as Member of Planning Commission.
Apart from his professional life, Mr. Ahmed is a novelist and short story writer, having written more than one hundred short stories and six novels so far. One of his novels, 'Choitropaban O Digontorekha' has got critical acclamation for occupying a significant niche in the creative writings on Bangladesh's Liberation War. 'Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Literary Award', Sher-E-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq Literary Award, Natyasava Literary Award and several other accolades acknowledge his contribution to Bangla literature. As a vocalist of Bangladesh Television, he performs Bangla songs of the golden age.
Mr. Masud Ahmed is married. Wife`s name :Rifat Reza.
Mr. Ahmed Ataul Hakeem joined the Bangladesh Civil Service: Audit and Accounts Cadre in March 1979.
During his career in the Civil Service, Mr. Hakeem worked in both accounts offices and audit directorates of the Audit and Accounts Department. After the introduction of Departmental Accounts system through the newly formed offices of the Chief Accounts Officers for the Ministries, he became the first ever Chief Accounts Officer of the Government of Bangladesh.
Mr. Hakeem worked as the Director/Deputy Secretary in the Budget Wing of the Finance Division, Ministry of Finance from 1991-1997. He became the Director General of Audit Department in 1997 and was head of Financial Management Academy (FIMA) for 5 years. He also carried out duties as Director General Civil Audit Directorate. In 2004-2005, he was posted as the Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General (Senior) at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh. Prior to his appointment as the 10 th Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh, he served as the Controller General Defence Finance of the Ministry of Defence.
Mr. Hakeem is married, has a son and a daughter.
He served in many important and senior positions in the government including Senior Finance Controller (Navy), Senior Finance Controller (Air Force), Additional Director General (Finance)-Bangladesh Railway, Director General-Audit and Accounts Training Academy, Director General-Financial Management Academy (FIMA) and Controller General of Accounts.
He was a member of UN Audit Teams and audited the UNDP and UNICEF Headquarters, New York, USA and the UNEP Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya. He authored a number of books on auditing and accounting and has many publications in domestic as well as international journals.
He served as a Member of Martial Law Committee to evaluate the activities of BADC in 1982. Was a member of the National Pay Scale Implementation Committee of 1991; worked as Chairman of the Accounts Consolidation Task Force and Chaired Accounts Consolidation Task Force Meetings.
He made pioneering contribution in improving Audit methodology and Report writing in SAI Bangladesh. He successfully launched and implemented important policies on auditing and restructuring/remodeling of audit functions.
Prior to his present appointment, he retired as Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment of the Government of Bangladesh. He also served as a National Consultant, Reforms in Government Audit (RIGA) Project for two years.
In the capacity of Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary and Deputy Secretary of different Ministries, he has had a unique opportunity to work in several important fields of governmental operations.
He started his career as a Lecturer in English in Rajshahi College.
He qualified in the Central Superior Services Examination and joined Audit & Accounts Service in 1967.
He had foreign training in a number of countries including USA, Singapore and Pakistan.
He had served in various government offices as:
He had received extensive training at home and abroad specially on General Public Administration, Rural Electrification Distribution System, Advanced Management Programme, Industrial Management System,
He led/participated in several international seminars/investment, business, governmental delegations to several countries.
He visited many countries of Asia, Africa, Europe, America.
He was involved in many socio-cultural and sports organizations and multinational organizations during his long career in government service.
He initiated a number of reforms initiatives for modernization and improvement of the activities of SAI Bangladesh. He relinquished the charge of CAG on 4th February, 2002.
Mr. M. Hafizuddin Khan joined as the Comptroller & Auditor General of Bangladesh on 8th August, 1996.
Khondkar Moazzamuddin Hossain took oath of office as the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of Bangladesh on 7 March, 1992. Before his joining as CAG, he was serving as the Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs.
Mr. Gholam Kibria joined as the fourth Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh on March 30, 1989. He did Bachelor of Science from University of Dhaka. He also studied in the International Management Development Department of the Syracuse University, USA.
Before joining as the Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh he served as the Secretary, Ministry of Finance; Alternate Executive Director, World Bank, representing the constituency comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka; Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance; Commercial Counselor, Embassy of Bangladesh Moscow; Deputy Secretary (Budget), Ministry of Finance etc.
During his tenure as the Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh Mr. Gholam Kibria had significant contribution to the development of auditing practices in Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Bangladesh. He incorporated modern auditing techniques in the financial and compliance auditing.
After retiring from the post of Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh, in the year 1993 he worked as the International Monitory Fund (IMF) Budget Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Government of Mongolia. He also worked as Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Government of Uzbekistan and to the department for the Coordination of Foreign Economic Activities in 1994.
He was born on January 1, 1932. He is married and has one daughter and two sons.
A. K. Azizul Huq took oath of office as Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh on 1st January, 1982. Prior to this appointment, he was Secretary, Internal Resources Division in the Ministry of Finance, Govt. of Bangladesh, and Chairman, National Board of Revenue. Born in 1929, Mr. Huq had his BA.(Hons)and MA degrees. He was awarded Diploma in Advanced Theory on Economic Development from Manchester University. U.K. He started his career as Lecturer in English in a government College. Thereafter, he was inducted into erstwhile Pakistan Military Accounts Service in 1954 and appointed Assistant Controller of Military Accounts. He served in various capacities in Military Accounts Department before his appointment as a Deputy Secretary to the government.
Mr. Osman Ghani Khan joined as the second Comptroller & Auditor General of Bangladesh on 03rd January 1976. He was born on 01-01-1923.
He joined at Central Superior Service of Pakistan in 1949 (First Batch). He obtained his BA (Hons) and MA in Economics from University of Calcutta.
Mr. Ghani served as Chairman/Member, UN Board of Auditors, New York; Secretary, Implementation Division, Ministry of Finance; Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Member (Administration), Jute Board, Ministry of Commerce.
He is married and has a son & a daughter. Mr. Gani had received training on Courses for Senior Level Central Superior Service Officers at the Pakistan Administrative Staff College (PASCOL), Lahore, Pakistan and Departmental Training as a probationary officer in East Pakistan.
He visited Germany, Peru, Jamaica, Austria, Kenya, Switzerland, Macau, Former Soviet Union, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, France, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Pakistan, India for professional business.
Mr. Fazle Kader Muhammad Abdul Baqui joined as the first Comptroller & Auditor General of Bangladesh on 11th May 1973. He was born on 01-01-1916.
He obtained his BA (Hons) (Economics) from Calcutta University and MA in English from Dhaka University.
Mr. FKM Abdul Baqui served as Financial Advisor, Jute Trading Corporation; General Manager, House Building Finance Corporation, East Pakistan and Director, Trading Corporation of Pakistan.
He is married and has three daughters. Mr. FKM Abdul Baqui had received extensive training at USA, UK and Pakistan.
He visited USA, UK, Pakistan, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and India for professional business.