A report has revealed extensive corruption and financial irregularities in Bangladesh’s Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) project initiated during the former Awami League government. The project, valued at about Tk 3,825 crore for purchasing 150,000 machines, allegedly caused financial losses of around Tk 3,172 crore due to inflated pricing—nearly ten times higher than market rates. The audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General found that the procurement bypassed open tendering, using direct purchase through a military-run enterprise while importing components from abroad.

The report implicates several influential figures, including a former security adviser, senior election officials, and executives of the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory, in what is described as a coordinated institutional corruption scheme. Many of the machines are now unusable, with only a few thousand operational, raising further questions about quality and intent. The Anti-Corruption Commission has begun investigations after finding one in three machines defective.

The current Election Commission’s decision to discontinue EVM use and the Election System Reform Commission’s similar stance are seen as tacit acknowledgments of the project’s failure. Calls have intensified for a full, impartial investigation and prosecution of those responsible.