Photo: Collected
Tanya Akhter, a librarian at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB), took leave to visit her husband in the UK, but unfortunately, she did not return as planned. Before requesting leave, she provided various reasons for her extended absence, citing illness on some occasions and the need for complete bed rest on others. She even took pregnancy leave to further extend her absence. However, despite these leaves, she failed to return to work.
The last excuse given by Tanya Akhter was that her daughter's passport was not available, which further delayed her return. After a prolonged period of 19 months of correspondence and attempts to resolve the situation, she was eventually terminated from her position.
The investigation into Tanya's prolonged absence commenced when she failed to return after requesting leave on a sensitive issue. During the investigation, various allegations, including accusations of money embezzlement, were levied against her. Despite these allegations, Tanya did not return to her position.
Furthermore, it has come to light that not only Tanya but also several other officers of the Civil Aviation Authority have gone abroad after allegedly misappropriating large sums of money and have never returned. These individuals have reportedly settled in countries such as the UK, USA, and Canada.
Ikhtiar Islam has been residing abroad since March 14, 2022, which has caused significant disruption to the operations of the authorities. In light of the inadmissibility of his application for the revision of lien, a departmental case has been initiated against him. Following the investigation of the case and the substantiation of the complaint, Md. Ikhtiar Islam, Senior Communication Engineer, was terminated in accordance with Rule 49 (c) of the Employee Employment Regulations, 2021.
Shahiduzzaman, who served as an executive engineer in the engineering department at CAAB headquarters, visited the United States on January 17, 2021, during his tenure, purportedly to meet his family and relatives. However, despite the conclusion of his vacation period, he failed to return to the country as expected. Consequently, CAAB suspended him from his position. Subsequently, a departmental case was initiated against him, accusing him of 'misconduct' and absconding from his responsibilities.
Moreover, Shahiduzzaman faces severe allegations of misappropriating funds, reportedly amounting to at least 100 crore taka, through the tender processes of various projects at CAAB.
Abdul Khaleq, an administrative officer at CAAB, was permanently dismissed from his position in July 2023. Abdul Khaleq had traveled to Canada on November 12, 2021, after taking a two-month leave to visit his wife's elder brother. However, he failed to return home following the conclusion of his vacation.
Subsequent investigations into Abdul Khaleq's actions have unearthed serious allegations of corruption and misconduct. It is alleged that he absconded to Canada with a substantial bribe from job aspirants. Additionally, during the investigation, authorities discovered 7,830 government pay orders in Abdul Khaleq's desk drawer. These pay orders, intended for recruitment purposes in category 20, were not deposited in CCAB’s account branch as required. Instead, Abdul Khaleq allegedly kept them for the purpose of embezzlement.
The total amount of corruption allegedly involving Abdul Khaleq is estimated to be at least 100 crore rupees.
The administrative officer of Jashore Airport, Mahbub Alam, has seemingly disappeared without a trace, leaving CAAB unable to locate him. Mahbub took a five-day casual leave to visit his home in Pabna on September 11, 2022. However, after two months, he did not return to work as scheduled. CAAB attempted to contact him by sending letters to his home and messages via WhatsApp. On November 22, Mahbub was summoned by CAAB to explain his prolonged absence, and he was given a seven-day ultimatum to return to the workplace.
Despite these efforts, Mahbub failed to comply and did not report back to work. Furthermore, there are allegations of corruption against Mahbub Alam, adding to the complexities of the situation.
The prevailing sentiment among stakeholders is that numerous individuals associated with CAAB are allegedly amassing significant sums of money through corruption and subsequently fleeing abroad. This trend has led to a situation where the organisation is unable to take punitive action against these individuals, as they are beyond the reach of domestic law enforcement. Consequently, CAAB’s reputation and image are being tarnished due to the perceived impunity enjoyed by corrupt officials.
Aviation expert Kazi Wahidul Alam weighed in on the matter, asserting that individuals who engage in corruption and then abscond from the country evade accountability. He emphasised that the complexities of official procedures often provide these individuals with an opportunity to escape justice once allegations surface. Alam stressed the importance of taking decisive action against anyone involved in corruption, irrespective of their current whereabouts, to uphold integrity and accountability within CAAB and restore public trust in the organisation.
In response to a question, Wahidul Alam emphasised the necessity for stricter action against individuals who flee abroad to evade accountability for corruption. He stressed the importance of holding such individuals accountable to deter others from engaging in similar misconduct and to uphold the integrity of CAAB.
Furthermore, Air Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman, the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, reaffirmed to the media that departmental action will be taken against any officials and employees of CAAB found to be involved in irregularities and corruption.
Messenger/Disha
