Dhaka, Feb. 20 -- Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has criticised the transport minister's description of roadside collections as "compromise-based transactions", calling it an "attempt to legitimise a serious criminal offence".

In a statement issued on Friday, the local chapter of the Berlin-based Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organisation, voices both concern and condemnation over the remarks.

The remarks came on Thursday afternoon at the Secretariat, when the Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam discussed with journalists about the collection of money from vehicles on roads.

He said he does not consider money taken on a "negotiated basis" from road users as extortion, but added tha...