National Board of Revenue (NBR) Member Belal Hossain Chowdhury has travelled to Australia using a government order that had approved his visit to Indonesia for an official event.
At 11:55pm on Thursday, Belal departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Singapore Airlines (SQ-447) flight from Dhaka to Singapore en route to Australia, travel documents show. Under the same government order, seen by The Daily Star, 10 other NBR officials flew directly to Indonesia on Saturday morning.
Officials and anti-corruption campaigners have raised questions about how Belal managed to fly to Australia without government authorisation.
In a Facebook statement yesterday, Bangladesh Police said Belal secured a court approval before leaving the country, but made no comment on how he could travel to Australia when the government order authorised his travel to Indonesia.
Records show that the Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the finance ministry granted Belal at least two official permissions to travel abroad although a Dhaka court imposed a travel ban on him on January 29 this year.
Earlier, he joined a seminar in Japan on July 17 and was later cleared to attend a training session titled “Data Centre Management and Reporting” in Indonesia on September 11.
His lawyer, Mohammad Jamal Hossain, told The Daily Star that Belal obtained court approval before both trips.
According to Jamal, Belal secured temporary suspension of his travel ban from a lower court on September 9, just two days before the latest government order was issued.
He added, “On January 29, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court imposed a travel ban on Belal Chowdhury and his wife at the request of the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission). Later, on August 28, the High Court redirected us to seek permission from the relevant trial court. On September 9, the court suspended the ban for two months, allowing him to travel abroad.”
The Daily Star spoke to NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan about Belal’s travel to Australia at an event at Chattogram Port yesterday, but he declined to comment.
Other journalists at the event also asked the NBR chief about the matter, but he avoided the questions and quickly left the venue without giving a reply.
The latest government order issued by the IRD stated that all expenses of the Indonesia trip would be borne by Star Tech Engineering Ltd, a private contractor.
Contacted, the company’s managing director, Mahbub Alam, told The Daily Star, “As part of our agreement to supply and maintain NBR’s network equipment, we are covering the costs of this training. It has been arranged under a purchase contract signed three years ago.”
On Saturday evening, he confirmed that all officials involved in the project had already departed Dhaka for Indonesia.
Asked whether Belal was on the list, he said, “Everyone on the official list has already reached Indonesia. Mr Belal called me earlier today and informed me that he is in Australia and will join the team in Indonesia on Sunday.”
NBR sources said Belal had no prior plan to travel from Australia to Indonesia.
Following criticisms on social media, NBR chairman later advised him either to return home or travel to Indonesia to join the official delegation, the sources added.
Contacted, ACC Spokesperson Md Akhtarul Islam said, “The commission has been investigating the allegations [against Belal] since 2019. As the office is closed today, we cannot provide an update on the case at this moment. Further details will be available after consulting the investigating officer.”
In the petition submitted on January 29, the ACC said Belal is under investigation for amassing vast “illegal wealth through bribery, corruption, and abuse of office”. Investigators alleged he and his family own undisclosed assets at home and abroad, including in Canada, and have laundered money through associates.
The commission warned that Belal is trying to leave the country with his family, which could obstruct the probe, and urged the court to restrict their overseas travel until the investigation is complete.
Last night, Belal admitted to have travelled to Australia without a government order.
“I arrived in Indonesia’s Bali within our scheduled time. I am currently with the team that came from Bangladesh. Since I had some free time, I met a few friends in Australia. Also, as there were no direct flights to Bali, I travelled via Australia. Therefore, I did not feel the need to obtain a separate GO for Australia,” he told this newspaper.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman criticised the approval process, saying, “Allowing foreign travel for someone under ACC investigation for illegal wealth accumulation and money laundering is itself a crime. Those who authorised this permission must also be held accountable.”
He added, “Belal Chowdhury has committed multiple deceptions. First, he used a government order for Indonesia to go to Australia. Second, he failed to fulfill the official training purpose for which the order was issued. This constitutes multifaceted fraud, and he must be brought under strict accountability.”
