The one and only Mijarul Quayes!

Robert Gibson, the UK High Commissioner in Dhaka, flew to London ahead of the July 21-23 UK visit of Sheikh Hasina, while his high-profile Bangladesh counterpart in London was still holidaying in Italy.

Mohamed Mijarul Quayes rushed back to London the night before Sheikh Hasina landed there to take part in the much-trumpeted Girl Summit.

But his wife, who runs an unauthorised website in London to ‘raise funds for poor Bangladeshis’, stayed back in Italy.

The nonchalant High Commissioner took a flight from Heathrow to join his wife again barely an hour after his prime minister boarded the plane bound for Dhaka.

Before the couple left for Italy, Quayes had just returned from a three-day trip to Ireland, a country he is concurrently accredited to.

“So for eight days prior to the arrival of the prime minister, the High Commissioner had been away from station,” said a source, “and it is unusual of a senior diplomat.”

Preparation for a summit level visit is a huge exercise, says a former senior Bangladesh diplomat, and “Ambassador Quayes created history of sorts” by being absent from his place of work for such a long period ahead of such a trip.

File photo: Mohamed Mijarul Quayes

Foreign Ministry officials say the Bangladesh mission in London has been without several senior officials for quite some time – the Deputy High Commissioner’s position is vacant and a senior Counsellor, under order of posting to Saudi Arabia, had already handed over charge before the July 21 arrival of the prime minister.

The counsellor left London on Saturday.

Such summit level visits generate a flurry of activity by both the hosts and visiting officials, says the retired senior diplomat, “and an ambassador can only expect one such head of government or state level visit in his or her tenure”.

So why didn’t the High Commissioner, who was Bangladesh’s foreign secretary between 2009 and 2012, bother? Was it necessary for him to go to Ireland and Italy?

After the Prime Minister’s visit, the foreign ministry said he would have to

leave London

, a charge he took over on Dec 9, 2012, for a much lesser role as envoy to Brazil in less than two years.

Any professional with some pride would resign in such circumstances.

Quayes has not -- and perhaps there hangs a tale.

He is currently facing several audit objections for ‘misuse of powers and irregularities’, according to a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The bdnews24.com published excerpts from the report exclusively.

“I am surprised that Ambassador Quayes is not being recalled and made to face an official inquiry,” a former diplomat familiar with the government procedure earlier told bdnews24.com.

The CAG’s Office

charged his mission

with ‘irregularities,

mismanagement and lack of transparency’ in spending public money.

Its 2012-13 report says the High Commission did not have a convincing answer to 47 of the 57 audit objections raised by the auditors. It asked for refund of money spent without ‘due authorisation’.

Quayes was also facing criticism for not doing enough for the government during and after the Jan 5 elections. The Hasina administration faced a wave of criticism from the UK and other Western countries over the polls.

Sources in the UK say he “failed to perform” in his role as High Commissioner to an important diplomatic mission that London is for Bangladesh.

“The government had to rely on non-mission contacts in London to secure major appointments for the prime minister,” one source claimed.

One official at the High Commission also admitted that they had to depend on the Bangladeshi community during PM’s visit.

UK is the home of more than half a million British-Bangladeshis.

Azim Ahmed, minister (consular) is now the chargé d'affaires of the High Commission.

He told bdnews24.com on Monday over phone that the High Commissioner would come back on Aug 2.

When asked he admitted that the High Commissioner had been in Italy and came back just before the night of the PM’s arrival and left again soon after her departure.

“He attended to the prime minister and now we can reach him on mobile. So we do not have problems for administrative and routine business,” Ahmed said.

He said Quayes was attending the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) meeting as he is a member of the UN group.

According to the foreign ministry, Quayes became the member of the committee when he was the foreign secretary, and now serves it in his “personal capacity”.

ICSC is an independent expert body established by the United Nations General Assembly. According to its website, the members of the commission serve in their personal capacity.

Quayes could not be reached as he was in Italy. He did not pick up his mobile phone, despite several calls and voice messages.

The High Commission official who talked to bdnews24.com requesting anonymity admitted that they had to resort to help from the Bangladeshi community in London for scheduling the PM's programmes.

“He (High Commissioner) could not make it,” the official said.

He said Quayes joined his Rome meeting on July 17 and came back the night before prime minister’s arrival and left after her departure to attend the concluding session on July 24.

“Now he is on his personal leave,” the official said on Monday.

When asked, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque told bdnews24.com the High Commissioner took permission for attending the international civil service commission meeting.

He declined to make further comments on the issue.

However, Quayes transfer without recalling him amid irregularities and misuse of power drew sharp criticism from political circles as well as in the social media.

The BNP has expressed anger at his mere transfer.

Party Vice-Chairman Shamser Mobin Chowdhury, also a former foreign secretary, on Monday said questions hang over the “mere transfer” of Quayes.

“Given these allegations, the government should have summoned him and taken proper actions after fair investigation,” he told reporters.

Commenting on the news bdnews24.com carried out about his transfer, one identified as ‘Ornob’ wrote: “Mijarul must be punished appropriately. We want to see the govt. setting such examples”.

Another ‘Akhter Shah’ wrote: “PM's visit for the 'Girl summit' in London was the final nail in his 'coffin'! Meritocracy has to be the order of the day!”

One ‘Juwel’ commented: “It is very eccentric that a high commissioner fails to perform his essential duty. Govt must take appropriate action about this”.