ACC to quiz Biman officials, ex-MD over ‘recruitment irregularities’

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will interrogate 10 Biman officials, including recently-dismissed managing director and chief executive officer AM Mosaddique Ahmed, for irregularities in pilot recruitment.

ACC assistant director M Saiful Islam served notices on Tuesday, asking them to appear before the anti-corruption watchdog. The officials allegedly took bribe while recruiting cadet pilots and were engaged in other forms of corruption.

Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee, the ACC’s public relations officer, said the current MD and CEO of the Biman, Farhat Hassan Jamil, was also asked to appear before the commission on 29 July.

The commission asked Mosaddique to appear before it on 30 July, Pranab said.

Biman’s board removed Mosaddique on 30 April after finding ‘massive irregularities’ including in the appointment of pilots. His three-year job contract was scheduled to end on 30 May.

ACC issued a travel ban on him three days after he was fired. ACC officials said Mosaddique and the nine others are accused of taking bribes and abusing power in appointing cadet pilots.

The others are: Biman ground service supervisors GM Zakir Hossain, Mizanur Rahman and AKM Masum Billah, junior ground officer Moshiqur Rahman, commercial supervisors Rafiqul Alam and Golam Kaiser Ahmed, commercial officers Zawed Tarique Khan and Mahfuzul Karim Siddique, and junior commercial officer Marf Mehedi Hasan.

Meanwhile, Biman’s chief financial officer Vineet Sood, marketing and sales department’s director Ashraful Alam, director of planning department M Mahbub Jahan Khan and chief of training Fazal Mahmud were asked to appear before the ACC on 29 July to give their versions.

Biman director (Admin) Partha Kumar Pandit, Director (Engineering and Material Management) Sazzadur Rahim, director (Procurement and Logistic Support) Mohammad Mominul Islam and general manager (Admin) Bushra Islam have also been asked to come to the commission on 28 July to give statements.