Forensic audit found discrepancies in GDP figures under previous government, says finance minister

A review of the gross domestic product (GDP) figures from the previous government has found several discrepancies. A committee has identified the inconsistencies through a forensic audit, and the report will be published soon after review by experts.

The matter came up in remarks by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury at a discussion held on Sunday at the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka, on the occasion of National Statistics Day.

The finance and planning minister was the chief guest at the event. Special guests were the prime minister’s political adviser Zahir Uddin Swapan, finance and planning ministry adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, and State Minister for Planning Md Jonaid Abdur Rahim Saki.

The programme was chaired by Md Firoz Sarkar, secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division. BBS Director General Md Shamimul Haque delivered the welcome address. BBS Director Kabir Uddin Ahammad, Dhaka University professor Syed Shahadat Hossain, and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Director General A K Enamul Haque also spoke.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said no work can be done with questionable statistics, calling it akin to deceiving oneself. Information is the government’s most important asset, he said, adding that the BBS is being given full independence and that the government is also considering its manpower shortage.

The finance minister said the forensic audit was carried out to get to the bottom of past irregularities, not to target anyone. The more information is made public, the more errors and inconsistencies will come to light, he said, and that will create opportunities for correction. In the age of artificial intelligence, the importance of data and digital infrastructure is growing further.

Prime Minister’s political adviser Zahir Uddin Swapan said information built on a scientific basis is very powerful, and accurate statistics can play an important role in the country’s development planning and policymaking.

Finance and planning ministry adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said there had been an attempt under the previous government to build a narrative using statistics. Reviewing past data revealed inconsistencies in GDP figures and other areas, he said, adding that there were also major discrepancies in social safety net data, with many who were supposed to receive support not getting it.

Titumir said the number of water vessels had earlier been shown as 13,000, but a review found the actual number to be 267,000. An initiative to exchange digital registers is under way to remove such inconsistencies, he said, adding that a kind of hybrid war of false information is now going on.

State Minister for Planning Md Jonaid Abdur Rahim Saki said that without data it is impossible to understand where the country stands, where it wants to go, or where it is going wrong. That is why steps have been taken to restore public trust in statistics, he said, adding that a forensic audit of the previous government’s statistics found ample discrepancies in GDP figures, with evidence of the inconsistencies.

The state minister added that the BBS itself now publishes various data, including the Consumer Price Index (CPI), without needing the minister’s signature.