The authorities have appointed former project director of proposed Bangabandhu International Airport as the new now Chief Engineer (CE) of CAAB despite Tk 120 crore graft allegation against him.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) entrusted Nippon Koei Co. Ltd to undertake a feasibility study for the proposed airport besides the Padma Bridge.
This study, costing Tk 136,75 crore was submitted in June 2018. CAAB already spent Tk 120 crore from its own fund for the project.
Engr Habibur Rahman was posted as Superintending Engineer Division-3 of CAAB. He was responsible person of the project. He just made a publication on the project spending Tk 120 crore.
Engr Habibur Rahman, appointed as Chief Engineer of CAAB on November 28 last year after 5 August political changeover. Former superintendent engineer Habibur Rahman also allegedly involved with financial misconduct in the development projects of various airports over the past 15 years.
Habibur Rahman was ordered not to hold the important post of CAAB due to evidence of corruption and eccentricity while in charge of Civil Circle-1. But ignoring these instructions, he was given the responsibility of PD of several mega projects. These include development of Khan Jahan Ali Airport in Khulna, development of Syedpur Airport, runway overlaying of Sylhet Osmani Airport and construction of new terminal, overlaying of runway and construction of parallel taxiway at Shah Amanat Airport in Chittagong, extension of runway and extension-renovation of existing terminal and construction of terminal building and extension of runway at Cox's Bazar Airport.
A high official of CAAB, preferring anonymity, told the Daily Observer that Habibur Rahman has been described as a dedicated officer in the application to get contractual appointment for another two years as CAAB Chief Engineer.
The official also said that Habibur Rahman's retirement leave has been canceled and proposed for contractual appointment from 23.03.25 to 22.03.27.
Habibur Rahman was sometimes stand released, sometimes made OSD, and sometimes without office as part of the disciplinary action taken against him during his career on corruption charges.
ACC quizzed Habibur Rahman, the then Superintending Engineer (P&D QM circle), of CAAB over the Cox's Bazar Airport Development Project in 2020 over allegations of amassing wealth illegally.
A court in Dhaka on Tuesday set April 24 for submitting probe reports in four graft cases filed against 19 people, including Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former military adviser to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and now Chief Engineer Habibur Rahman for allegedly embezzling Tk 812 crore from four projects of three airports in the country.
According to the case documents, around Tk 200 crore was embezzled from a project to install a radar system at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Another Tk 250 crore was embezzled from the third terminal projects of the airport.
Tk 212 crore was embezzled from Sylhet Osmani International Airport expansion project, while Tk 150 crore was embezzled from Cox's Bazar International Airport Terminal and Runway Development Project, the ACC said.
The other prominent accused in the cases are former Senior Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Mohibul Haque, former Joint Secretary Janendranath Sarkar, former Chairman of CAAB Air Vice Marshal (retd) Muhammad Mafidur Rahman, former Chief Engineer Abdul Malek and former Superintendent Engineer Habibur Rahman.
