CAAB staff demand withdrawal of 'corrupt' colleague 

Employees of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) have demanded the removal of SM Lablur Rahman, alleging his involvement in bribery and misuse of authority.

In a written complaint submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, CAAB staff accused Lablur Rahman of openly taking bribes by withholding contractors' bills for development projects. They also alleged that he harassed engineers and pressured them to provide undue advantages to favoured contractors.

One incident mentioned in the complaint involved an assistant engineer who was allegedly threatened with dismissal after refusing to hand over a confidential evaluation report to a contractor chosen by Lablur Rahman. "The evaluation report is confidential and determines whether bills are cleared based on work quality," the engineer, seeking anonymity, told The Daily Observer.

Employees further alleged that Lablur Rahman used Coordination Officer Hafizur Rahman as his "personal cashier," forcing officials to channel bills and payments through him. They claimed that bribes were often demanded for clearing bills, with contractors having to negotiate payments before receiving approval.

Contractor Alfaz Uddin also alleged that bribery in bill processing has become an "open secret" in CAAB, with most payments reportedly routed through Hafizur Rahman for more than a decade.

CAAB staff have warned of launching another strike if immediate action is not taken against Lablur Rahman.

Despite repeated attempts, SM Lablur Rahman could not be reached for comment.