The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed four separate cases against Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former military adviser to the former prime minister, former Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) chairman M Mofidur Rahman, and 17 others in connection with the embezzlement of Tk812 crore from Bangladesh’s aviation sector.
ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain confirmed the filing of the cases on Monday.
The ACC said its investigation uncovered that those high-ranking officials and private entities colluded to siphon off funds designated for infrastructure development.
The accused officials include prominent figures from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, CAAB, and private contractors.
Mohibul Haque, former senior secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and Janendranath Sarkar, former joint secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, are among the key figures accused in the cases.
Other individuals facing charges include Abdul Malek, former chief engineer of CAAB, and Habibur Rahman, superintendent engineer at CAAB.
Additionally, Mahbubul Anam, the managing director of Aeroness International Limited, Lutfullah Mazed, the director of Aeroness International Limited, Afroza Nasrin Sultana, the project director for CNS-ATM radar installation at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, and AKM Monzur Ahmed, the former project director of the CNS-ATM radar installation project, are also named in the cases.
Others from CAAB include Mahfuzur Rahman, former additional chief engineer; Md Rafiqul Islam, former deputy director; Mohammad Hossain, an executive engineer; SM Kabir Hossain, another executive engineer; and Lutfor Rahman, managing director of a related contractor company.
The list further expands to include Md Sarwar Hossain, a senior engineer at CAAB; Md Moinuddin, an assistant engineer at CAAB; Md Abdullah Al Mamun, a CAAB officer; and Anisur Rahman, a private contractor.
According to the case documents, approximately Tk200 crore was misappropriated from the radar installation under the Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Besides, Tk250 crore was allegedly siphoned off from the airport’s expansion project, which included the construction of the third terminal.
Furthermore, Tk212 crore was reportedly embezzled from the expansion project of Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport, and Tk150 crore was misappropriated from the terminal construction and runway development project at Cox’s Bazar International Airport.
A significant aspect of the investigation centres on the radar installation project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, which involved the French company Thales LAS and Aeroness International. According to ACC findings, despite Thales specializing in radar technology, Tk150 crore was allocated for civil construction work, without clear specifications or competitive bidding.
This violation of the Public Procurement Rules (PPR) of 2008 led to a government-to-government contract that bypassed standard procedures to benefit favoured contractors, the commission said.
The accused individuals are alleged to have conspired to manipulate tender processes, inflate project costs, and violate financial protocols.
These actions led to the embezzlement of Tk812 crore in total.
Dhaka Tribune
