Questions raised over authority, conflicting statements as Bitopia allegations discussed
The current committee of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Associate Committee organised a press conference at its Dhaka office on Saturday without obtaining prior approval from the organisation’s administrator, according to Administrator Khadija Naznin.
The press conference was held at the BASIS office in Karwan Bazar on September 26, to present the committee’s position on allegations involving Bitopia Group and related activities.
The allegations concern the management of accounts on international freelancing marketplaces, the use of personal identities and information, order and review management, control of employees’ and freelancers’ accounts, and alleged violations of marketplace policies.
Speaking to The Shuttle Times, Naznin said she was unaware of the press conference.
“I just came to know about it from you,” she said when asked about the event.
She also indicated that she could consider stepping down if members of the support committee continued to take decisions without consulting her.
Questions about the administrator’s involvement also surfaced during the press conference.
BASIS support committee member Engineer Md Jewel told The Shuttle Times that Naznin did not want to become involved in technical matters and she is not a member of the industry.
However, during the press conference, Jewel gave a different account when asked about the administrator’s knowledge of the issue.
“The administrator is aware of the issue. She knows everything. As today is Saturday, she did not come. We are speaking on her behalf,” he told journalists.
The two statements could not immediately be reconciled.
The conflicting accounts have also raised questions about whether the current committee had the authority to organise the press conference without obtaining prior approval from the administrator.
A separate dispute occurred during the question-and-answer session involving Engineer Ferdous Alam, founder and chief executive officer of Etova Technology and a member of the BASIS support committee.
Alam reportedly objected to a question from a journalist and told him, “Learn journalism first, then ask questions.”
The exchange continued after the press conference, according to the journalist, and other people present at the venue intervened when the situation became heated.
The journalist later alleged that Alam blocked his way as he was leaving the BASIS office and behaved inappropriately.
Meanwhile, Md Monir Hossain, head of Bitopia and BD Calling, rejected the allegations against his organisations as baseless.
“I was informed about the BASIS press conference on Saturday afternoon. Rather, I have been trying to contact them but have failed. They are not answering my calls,” he said.
Hossain said the allegations should be examined through a proper process and that all parties concerned should be given an opportunity to present their positions.
The developments have raised questions about the internal decision-making process of BASIS, particularly regarding the authority of the current committee and the administrator’s role in approving organisational activities.
BASIS’s formal response to the allegations against Bitopia, as well as any further explanation from the support committee regarding the approval process for Saturday’s press conference, was not immediately available.
