US keen to work with Bangladesh to eliminate corruption

The United Sates is keen to work with Bangladesh in a bid to eliminate corruption.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas came up with the remark at an event titled ‘Call to Action Against Corruption Summit’ organised by Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) and Center for International Private Enterprises at a city hotel on Tuesday.

If Bangladesh can assure US citizens and investors that corruption is less prevalent here than in other markets, it will attract more investment, he said.

The US ambassador said corruption exists, to one degree or another, in every corner of the globe, and they are all too familiar with what it looks like.

Corruption is a parasite that feeds on the resources of a society and drains it of its strength and can devastate every level of business and government, he said.

The US Agency for International Development, USAID, has partnered with Bangladesh's Registrar of Joint Stock Companies to launch an online registration process for new businesses.

USAID has also worked with the Bangladesh National Board of Revenue to establish authorised economic operators. This endeavour empowers the private sector, instead of the government, to release shipments at ports, he said.