ACC Clears Two Officials Despite Ongoing Tk 350cr Cases
Sayeed Ahmed
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has given clearance to two officials accused in cases involving the alleged embezzlement of Tk 350 crore, despite both cases remaining under investigation. The clearance was reportedly issued on March 11 under a “package deal” involving several crores of taka, bypassing the ACC commission.The officials are Mohammad Aminul Hasib, Executive Engineer (Civil) of the Civil Circle Project, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), and Moidur Rahman Moudud, Executive Engineer (Civil) at Osmani International Airport. In a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, ACC Director Mohammad Nazmul Hasan stated that, according to ACC information, “no case is under investigation or trial” against them. The letter followed a ministry memorandum dated November 18, 2025.
However, ACC records contradict the claim. In Case No. 84, filed on January 27 last year, 11 people were accused of allegedly embezzling Tk 212 crore from the Osmani International Airport expansion project. Moudud was the ninth accused. The case alleges that the accused colluded and abused their authority to inflate project costs, approve expenditures, release funds and award work to a preferred contractor. According to the FIR, Aeroness International Ltd, the local agent of a Chinese company, received an advance payment of Tk 212 crore for work on a nearly Tk 2,000 crore terminal project but subsequently stopped work. In Case No. 85, 12 people, including Hasib, were accused of allegedly embezzling Tk 150 crore through irregularities in constructing the passenger terminal at Cox’s Bazar Airport. Hasib was the ninth accused.
Both cases remain under investigation by the ACC’s money-laundering branch. The clearance was issued shortly after the commission led by Dr Mohammad Abdul Momen resigned on March 3. ACC sources said such no-objection certificates (NOCs) normally undergo verification through the ACC secretary’s office and do not require direct commission approval. Former ACC Director General (Legal) Moidul Islam called the issuance itself while the cases were under investigation a serious offence. “First, the accused were effectively given clearance through a false NOC. It also appears that opportunities were created for them to evade arrest and punishment, while false information was provided to the government,” he said. He also said the incident showed signs of “collusion and bribery” and called for departmental action and possible criminal charges under ACC law. Senior criminal-law lawyer Mahbubur Rahman also described the matter as serious and said those responsible should be brought under the law.
