A senior tax official facing serious corruption charges was appointed president of the Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal just 24 hours after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against him.

The move has triggered widespread criticism over institutional integrity and accountability.

The ACC on Tuesday formally charged Mohammad Belal Hossain Chowdhury, a member of the National Board of Revenue (VAT Implementation and IT) and former Customs commissioner, with concealing approximately Tk5 crore in assets from known sources of income.

At a press conference held the same day at ACC headquarters in Dhaka, Director General (Prevention) Md Akhtar Hossain explained that while Belal had declared assets worth Tk8.83 crore in his official submission, independent verification identified total assets valued at Tk13.43 crore, revealing a concealed amount of Tk4.60 crore.

“The inquiry showed that the assets acquired beyond known income amount to Tk4.97 crore,” Akhtar said, adding that Belal’s accumulation involved a pattern of irregularities and abuse of power during his postings at customs and rebate/refund departments.

Despite these serious allegations, the Finance Ministry issued a circular on Wednesday appointing Belal as president of the Customs Tribunal — effectively elevating him to a judicial role.

The decision has stirred calls for scrutiny across public discourse.

In Facebook Post, journalist Zulkarnain Saer questioned the legitimacy of the move: “How can someone accused of concealing assets now sit in judgment?”

He labelled the appointment a case of “institutional failure and moral erosion.”

He also warned that such appointments risk eroding public faith in institutions. “The optics are disastrous — an accused now judging others,” Saer wrote on his wall.

Queries persist over why no disciplinary action has accompanied the charges and on what legal or administrative basis the government proceeded with the appointment.

The ACC has not yet issued any further statement regarding the appointment.