Central bank deputy governor appointment viva voce June 17

The search committee on deputy governor appointment for the Bangladesh Bank is going to interview 20 eligible candidates on 17 June. 

After the viva voce, the committee will prepare a shortlist and submit it to the government – from where two will be appointed as the central bank's deputy governors. 

The central bank's highest post is executive director while the deputy governors and governor are appointed by the government. 

The Bangladesh Bank has four deputy governor posts while currently two chairs remain vacant.

Followed by the reserve heist in 2016, two deputy governors were removed and since then the central bank has never had the four posts occupied concurrently. 

The search committee, headed by Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, invited applications at the end of 2019 for a deputy governor post. Later in February this year, it re-advertised for two deputy governor posts at the central bank.      

Some 20 candidates will compete for the posts in the upcoming interview. Most of them are either currently serving as executive directors to the central bank or have retired as executive directors. 

Few applicants are from commercial banks and private universities competing for deputy governor posts. 

Applicants said the viva voce for the current or former central bank candidates could be held in the second half of the interview, while others may face the board in the first half of the interview.    

To revive the economy from novel coronavirus shocks, the country is heavily depending on the banking sector and the Bangladesh Bank is preparing a policy framework to make the economy more functional.

The government recently extended the tenure of Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir by amending a provision on the service age limit in the law. 

This has fuelled widespread discussion about whether the age limit for central bank deputy governors will be raised as Deputy Governor 1 SM Moniruzzaman is going to retire on December 31.