The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday interrogated four Biman officials accused of irregularities in the leasing process of two Egypt Air aircraft.
The four officials are Principal Assistant Director Saiful Haque Shah, Airworthiness Consultant Golam Sarwar, Biman Flight Catering Centre (BFCC) Manager Sadekul Islam Bhuiyan and BFCC official Kamal Uddin Ahmed.
On Monday, the commission also grilled three Biman officials over the same scam. They are Chief Engineer (Maintenance) SM Siddique, Principal Engineer of I&QA SM Hanif and Manager Maintenance Control Centre (MMCC) Principal Engineer Debesh Chowdhury.
Another accused, Ishrat Ahmed, director of flight operations and team leader of the inspection team, did not appear on Monday.
According to sources, Biman Bangladesh Airlines leased two Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft from Egypt Air on a five-year contract in 2014.
Both aircraft suffered engine failure at the end of the first year. The engines were about 12-15 years old. Due to their short airworthiness period, the engines were completely crippled.
Another engine was leased from Egypt Air to keep the aircraft operational.
After a year and a half, the rest of the engine was crippled. In five years, Biman has lost around TK11 crore, according to an investigation report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
Later, the ACC decided to investigate the matter in light of the report sent by the standing committee.
An investigation is also underway to find out if there were any irregularities in the lease agreement and tender process.
The commission said a summons letter has already been served on the Biman authorities asking for the lease agreement with Egypt Air, planning and evaluation report regarding the aircraft lease, financial expenditure statement, including the report of engine failure and its maintenance.
An official of the commission told Dhaka Tribune that anyone found involved with the lease scam would be interrogated.
Heston lease scam probe yet to start
A syndicate led by the Biman Director (corporate planning and training) Mahbub Jahan Khan signed an agreement with Lithuania-based Heston Airlines that was approved at Biman’s 276th board meeting, held on April 30.
Mahbub Jahan said that he had prepared guidelines on how to lease aircraft in the future.
He spoke in favour of Heston Airlines at a meeting to get the lease agreement finalized with Heston this year.
Biman Board Chairman Sajjadul Hasan and former Biman MD Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal supported Mahbub Jahan’s lease proposals in the meeting on May 3.
However, former Biman Board director Abdur Rouf Talukder, who is also a senior secretary at the Finance Ministry, opposed the proposal.
Later, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali also rejected all proposals over irregularities in Biman’s lease situation.
Wishing anonymity, a high official of the Civil Aviation Ministry said that the ministry would investigate the matter, but no decision had been made yet.