Rejecting the recent Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report that talks of alleged irregularities and corruption in the readymade garment sector of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) claimed that the report is ‘intended to destabilise the apparel sector, which earns the highest export revenue for Bangladesh’.
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“It is baseless, intentional, mischievous and far from the truth. We have rejected it,” maintained BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman, while reacting to TIB’s report, adding that, “TIB needs to improve its research mechanism. A report based on the interview of 74 people cannot do justice to an industry that involves millions of labourers, entrepreneurs and clients.”
TIB released a report on Thursday, in which it stated that the supply chain of the garment industry is plagued by irregularities and corruption for which international apparel buyers are also responsible. The TIB report also pointed towards alleged use of bribes to hush up various irregularities. In its report, the TIB mentioned that it had detected anomalies at 16 stages – from order placement to shipment – in the apparel supply chain of Bangladesh.
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Rejecting TIB’s claims, Rahman underlined that readymade garments are exported keeping with the strict international norms and questioned the timing of the report, especially when the garment manufacturers are trying to achieve apparel export target of US $ 50 billion by the end of 2021.
“The report says we are bribing heavily to export substandard goods. How is this justified when we are working with Accord Alliance?” wondered Rahman, adding, “The timing of the TIB report is thus against the interest of the country’s garment industry, as it questions the integrity of the stakeholders along with world-class third party auditors and clients.”
The garment manufacturer’s body is thus weighing legal options against TIB, stated Rahman, adding, “We will take a decision after discussing the matter with all stakeholders.”
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
