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A praiseworthy initiative by government and law minister
Special Correspondent
Published: 06 Oct 2026, 12:00 AM
Thanks to the government and the law minister. For the first time in the country, the law minister has decided to transfer sub-registrars through a lottery system. On Sunday, the Ministry of Law stated in a press release that the decision to transfer sub-registrars through a lottery was made to “ensure transparency” in the transfer process. The lottery will take place at 10am today in the conference room of the Ministry of Law.
According to the press release, sub-registrars currently serving in various district offices will be transferred through a lottery to designated positions across the sub-registry offices of Dhaka district. Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Md Asaduzzaman will be present at the lottery event.
In Bangladesh, transfer commerce is a breeding ground for corruption. Among these, postings in land offices are a goldmine for bribery. Here, bribery primarily revolves around the position of sub-registrar. These sub-registrars act as key collectors in this sector, collecting money directly from the public. This money is then distributed according to rank, all the way to the top tiers. There are specific sub-registrar posts that are practically auctioned off. Postings as sub-registrar in areas such as Gulshan, Gazipur, Rupganj and Keraniganj require several crore taka. By conducting these transfers through a lottery, the law minister has taken a major step towards curbing corruption.
This trend is not limited to sub-registrars; the same pattern can be seen in the transfers of all government employees. Transfer commerce is one of the primary drivers of corruption in Bangladesh. Government officers and employees – from the highest levels down to the lowest ranks – must pay money to secure transfers to preferred locations. Certain lucrative posts are sold for millions of taka. When an official secures a transfer by spending a massive amount of money, their immediate priority is to recover that investment. After that, they focus on lining their own pockets for the future. Everyone from Secretaries to lower-level officials has to pay bribes to secure profitable postings. Lower-tier staff must also offer bribes to secure desirable positions. In public service, there are identified posts where placement is impossible without money. Furthermore, the price of a post increases or decreases depending on the region. Investigations reveal that there are at least 25 such positions where a transfer is impossible without paying money.
Law enforcement is another one of the country’s most corrupt sectors, with corruption centred primarily around police stations. In the past, becoming an officer-in-charge (OC) at police stations in elite areas such as Gulshan, Banani or Dhanmondi required spending Tk10-15 crore. Insiders report that the situation has not changed significantly. It is not just OCs – even constables have to spend lakhs of taka to get posted to these stations.
When a police officer secures a position by paying a bribe, how can they remain honest?
Bribery also occurs in the posting of lower court judges. Former law adviser Asif Nazrul broke all past records for taking bribes in judicial transfers. During his tenure, transactions worth crores of taka took place in connection with lower court judge transfers, with the highest bribes required for postings in and around Dhaka.
During the Yunus administration, bribe transactions for postings and promotions at the secretary level took place openly. The public administration secretary was transferred following allegations of irregularities and corruption in the appointment of deputy commissioners (DCs). During this period, several sensational reports on transfer commerce were published in the media.
In departments such as the Forest Department, Public Works Department (PWD), Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), higher-level posts are far more expensive than lower ones. In 2023, a chief engineer position was reportedly sold for Tk100 crore.
In these government offices, specific districts and posts are regularly put up for bidding.
Doctor postings are also subject to trade. A doctor must spend lakhs of taka to get transferred to Dhaka. No doctor wants to stay outside Dhaka because everything in the country is Dhaka-centric. Under the Yunus administration, the posts of 3,000 medical officers and 500 staff members were reshuffled. The department had never seen such a massive transfer in such a short period. Many transferred doctors did not even join their assigned workplaces at the district and sub-district levels.
A large portion of public servants want to stay posted in Dhaka by any means necessary. In a country of 180 million people, if everyone wants to work in Dhaka, where will people outside Dhaka receive services? In reality, all our public services remain centred on Dhaka, largely because of the current transfer system.
To change this state of affairs, the law minister has introduced a lottery system for sub-registrar transfers for the first time. This is an extraordinary initiative that will significantly reduce corruption in one of the country’s most corrupt sectors. Those who receive postings in important and lucrative areas through a lottery without paying bribes will no longer feel compelled to act greedily. It is hoped that they will remain accountable to the public and focus on serving the people.
Furthermore, this praiseworthy step taken by the law minister to stop corruption through lottery-based transfers can be emulated by other ministries. This approach could serve as an effective strategy against corruption. All service-oriented government institutions could adopt this method for transfers and postings. For example, appointments of deputy commissioners often spark controversy. However, if the Ministry of Public Administration uses a lottery among qualified candidates on the fit list to decide who gets posted to which district, controversy could easily be avoided.
Similarly, this method offers a simple solution for transferring police station officers-in-charge (OCs) or doctors. If a public servant assumes a position without paying a bribe, they will be less prone to corruption and far easier to hold accountable. They will strive to earn public trust through good work, creating strong momentum against corruption across the system.
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