Corruption at Chittagong costs US$130m annually

Importers and exporters working at Bangladeshs leading seaport of Chittagong pay an estimated US$130m in bribes every year, claims a report by the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International which reviewed transactions in the port between July 2003 and June 2004. There are 37 separate points where bribes are habitually made, notes the report, although illegal payments to Customs officials for goods clearance alone accounts for US$112 million.