The Anti-Corruption Commission has filed four cases against 19 people, including former military adviser Tariq Ahmed Siddique, former civil aviation and tourism ministry senior secretary Mohibul Haque, and former chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh M Mafidur Rahman, on charges of embezzling Tk 812 crore from three airport development projects.
The four cases were filed with the ACC鈥檚 integrated district office in Dhaka, said its director general Md Aktar Hossain at a press briefing at the commission headquarters in Dhaka.
Allegations are that the accused embezzled Tk 812 crore from the three development projects undertaken for Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Cox鈥檚 Bazar International Airport and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet.
The first case was filed against 10 people in connection with the embezzlement of Tk 250 crore from the third terminal expansion project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
According to the case details, the project was initially estimated at Tk 13,000 crore, but the amount was eventually increased to Tk 21,000 crore.
Allegations have been raised that procurement regulations were violated and contracts were unlawfully awarded to favoured contractors, particularly local agent Aerones International Ltd that led to the misappropriation of Tk 250 crore from the project.
The accused, now ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 聽former military adviser Tariq Ahmed Siddique, former senior secretary Mohibul Haque, former joint secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Janendranath Sarkar, four former officials of civil aviation authority鈥攃hairman M Mafidur Rahman, former chief engineer Md Abdul Malek, then superintendent engineer Md Habibur Rahman, and former chief engineer Sudhendu Bikash Goswami, owner of Aerones International Lutfullah Majed, Md Mahbub Anam, and project director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion (Third Terminal) Project AKM Maksudul Islam.
The second case was filed over the embezzlement of Tk 200 crore from the CAAB-funded project to install radar systems at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
聽The accused are alleged to have engaged in unlawful activities by awarding contracts to their preferred contractors and diverting funds through Aerones International.
The accused in the case are Tariq Ahmed Siddique, former senior secretary Mohibul Haque, former joint secretary Janendranath Sarkar, former CAAB chairman M Mafidur Rahman, former chief engineer Md Abdul Malek, superintendent engineer Md Habibur Rahman, former director of CNS Maintenance Department at CAAB Afroza Nasrin Sultana, former deputy director (planning) AKM Manzur Ahmed, Aerones International owner Lutfullah Majed, and Md Mahbub Anam.
The third case was filed over allegations of embezzling Tk 150 crore from the construction of terminals and runways project implemented in Cox鈥檚 Bazar airport.
Tariq Siddique and others allegedly colluded with the Chinese company China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to bypass standard procurement procedures to illegally divert funds, leading to the embezzlement of Tk 150 crore, said the case statement.
The accused are Tariq Ahmed Siddique, Mohibul Haque, Janendranath Sarkar, M Mafidur Rahman, Md Abdul Malek, Md Habibur Rahman, Lutfullah Majed, Md Mahbub Anam and Md Shafiqul Islam, and executive engineer and project director of the Cox鈥檚 Bazar airport development (phase I鈥揑V revised) project Md Yunus Bhuiyan.
The fourth case was filed in connection with the construction of a new terminal at Osmani International Airport in Sylhet on charges of misappropriating Tk 212 crore by disbursing advance payments for work that was never completed.
Despite no work was done, funds were diverted from the project. Aerones International Ltd. is once again implicated, with the company鈥檚 directors now having gone into hiding after taking the advance payment from the project, said the case statement.
The accused in the case are Tariq Ahmed Siddique, M Mafidur Rahman, Md Mohibul Haque, Janendranath Sarkar, Md Abdul Malek, Md Habibur Rahman, Mahbubul Anam, Lutfullah Majed, Moidur Rahman, Md Moudud, former deputy secretary Shah Zulfikar Haider and then joint secretary Md Anisur Rahman who is currently additional secretary.
