Dhaka, April 19 -- The Parliament Secretariat has moved to investigate claims of irregularities in the procurement of cameras and other equipment following reports of excessive pricing.

Payment for the parliament procurement has been withheld pending the outcome of the investigation.

The decision was announced on Sunday in a media statement issued by Director (Public Relations) Md Monir Hossain of the Parliament Secretariat.

The statement said the move followed reports published over "Rampant plunder in parliamentary procurement" in a national daily and several online news portals.

A report published in Bangladesh Pratidin claimed that cameras, lenses, memory cards, batteries, flash units and other accessories were purchased at severa...