A Dhaka court has set September 25 for deciding whether to accept charges against 16 former and current officials of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in a corruption case involving Tk1,161 crore.
Judge Mohammad Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court set the date after reviewing the case related documents.
The charges were submitted by Md Anwarul Haque, deputy director of the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC), on May 20. He is the investigating officer of the case.
The accused include Kevin John Steele, former managing director and CEO of Biman, and several former and current engineers and officials of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
According to the case statement, the accused misused their power to embezzle funds by taking two faulty aircrafts from Egypt Air on lease, resulting in a Tk1,161 crore loss for Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd.
In 2014, Biman took two Boeing 777-200 ER aircrafts from Egypt Air under a five-year contract. Both aircrafts experienced engine failures within the first year.
The engines were 12-15 years old and in expired period. Additional engines taken on lease from Egypt Air also failed. Over five years, these issues resulted in a total loss of Tk1,100 crore, according to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. This committee's findings prompted an ACC investigation, leading to the charges against the 16 officials. On February 6 in 2023, the ACC filed the case against 23 individuals, including former flight captain Ishrat Ahmed, for financial losses to the national airline.
