ACC visits Biman HQ to probe leasing 2 Boeing 777s from Egypt Air

A team of Anti-Corruption Commission today visited Biman Bangladesh Airlines headquarters as part of its investigation into the corruption allegations regarding taking lease of two Boeing 777 aircraft from Egypt Air in 2014. The lease caused a loss of around Tk 1,200 crore.

Led by ACC Deputy Director Salah Uddin, a delegation of the anti-graft body visited the respective department of Biman HQ, Balaka, at around 10:30 am and spoke with the officials concerned of the national carrier, sources at Biman said.

"We went to the Biman office as part of ACC's ongoing enquiry [into the alleged irregularities in the leasing process]. We have collected relevant documents," ACC Deputy Director Salah Uddin said while talking to The Daily Star.

He also added that they will now go over the documents.

ACC is investigating the leasing of the two Boeing 777 aircraft following a recommendation by the parliamentary body on the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Leased for five years with stringent conditions that went against Biman's interests, the extended range planes remained grounded since 2017 due to engine defects.

Biman finally got rid of the two airplanes in 2019 for which the national air carrier had to pay dearly, found a probe body of the civil aviation ministry.

The amount – Tk 1,223 crore – spent on these old planes is more than the price of a brand-new plane, Biman sources said.

When asked, Biman Managing Director and CEO Dr Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal said they will extend cooperation to the ACC so that the inquiry work can be carried out without any obstacle.