The government is set to buy three bullet-proof BMW sedans for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The decision came as three vehicles in the prime minister’s car pool went out of commission, sources said.
The three vehicles will be kept for use for the prime minister, foreign dignitaries and other VVIPs as designated by the government, said officials involved with the procurement process.
An official memo said the first instalment, amounting to Tk1.17 crore, would have to be disbursed from the Finance Division as the expenditure had already been approved by the relevant department.
According to sources at the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the Expenditure Control Wing of the Finance Division, the prime minister has already approved the proposal. The memo notes that delay in payment in favour of BMW’s local agent Executive Motors Limited would mean a delay in arrival of the vehicles too. The three BMW 7 series sedans will cost Tk13.54 crore.
According to records of the prime minster’s transportation pool, one bullet proof car is 16 years old, while another four are almost nine years old.
During the 2007-08 military-controlled interim government, expatriate AL leaders and workers arranged funds for purchasing two bullet-proof cars for the former prime minster following the recommendation by her security committee.
