The US imposed a travel ban on the former army chief alleging serious corruption
Published : 22 May 2024, 05:43 PM
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud sees only ‘personal liability’ in the US travel ban on Bangladesh’s former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed.
At a Dhaka University event on Wednesday, the foreign minister said, “The department and the law under which the visa restriction was imposed on him [Aziz Ahmed] refers to corruption. It is a personal liability.”
“This is not an institutional matter, the US’s statement also noted that it is a matter of personal responsibility.”
On Monday, the United States imposed a travel ban on Aziz due to his involvement in alleged ‘significant corruption’.
The action renders Aziz and his immediate family ‘generally ineligible for entry to the US’, the country’s Department of State said in a statement on its website.
“Aziz Ahmed engaged in significant corruption by interfering in public processes while helping his brother evade accountability for criminal activity in Bangladesh,” the statement said. “Aziz also worked closely with his brother to ensure the improper awarding of military contracts and accepted bribes in exchange for government appointments for his personal benefit.”
Aziz served as Bangladesh’s chief of army staff from June 2018 to June 2021. He also served as the chief of Border Guard Bangladesh for four years from 2012.
GOVT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AZIZ TRAVEL BAN: FAKHRUL
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has blamed the government for the US travel ban on former army chief Aziz Ahmed.
“The travel ban came due to efforts to misuse the army,” the BNP leader told the media at the party’s central office in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan on Wednesday.
“See what a shame it is. The former army chief was sanctioned by America. It’s extremely embarrassing for a nation. Shame.”
“The government is responsible for this. They misused the army in many ways.”
Fakhrul said there is no alternative to the ‘removal of the government’ and the ‘establishment of a people’s government” in Bangladesh, calling it the only way to retrieve democracy.