The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has questioned three Election Commission (EC) officials over alleged financial irregularities in the procurement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which reportedly caused a loss of over Tk3,000 crore to the state.

On Wednesday, ACC Assistant Director Rakibul Hayat interrogated the officials at the commission’s head office in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.

The three officials summoned were EC Deputy Secretary Farhad Hossain, System Analyst Farzana Akhtar, and former Senior Maintenance Engineer Muhammad Ashraf Hossain. ACC sources said six EC officials had been summoned in total for questioning.

According to allegations, under the leadership of former chief election commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda, EVMs were purchased at nearly 10 times the market price – around Tk1.5 lakh per unit – without following proper tender procedures or financial regulations. This allegedly led to a financial loss of approximately Tk3,172 crore.

The EVM project, initiated during the tenure of CEC Huda, was approved for Tk3,825.24 crore. Although the machines were intended to last at least 10 years, many became inoperable well before their expected lifespan.

Following a change in government, the ACC launched an investigation into the EVM project in January. The commission found that most of the machines were substandard and ineffective. Additionally, data for at least 106 machines was missing.

The three officials who worked in the EC’s technical wing at the time were questioned in connection with these findings.        

During interrogation, they reportedly acknowledged that the money could have been used to procure better-quality machines.

The ACC has said its investigation is ongoing and has already uncovered preliminary evidence supporting the allegations.