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The US has imposed a travel ban on former Bangladesh Army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed and his immediate family.
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 on Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
“The US Department of State announced today the public designation of former General Aziz Ahmed, previously Chief of the Bangladesh Army Staff, due to his involvement in significant corruption. His actions have contributed to the undermining of Bangladesh’s democratic institutions and the public’s faith in public institutions and processes,” the statement read.
“Aziz Ahmed engaged in significant corruption by interfering in public processes while helping his brother evade accountability for criminal activity in Bangladesh. 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.
In February 2021, an Al-Jazeera news report titled ‘All the Prime Minister’s Men’ brought a slate of allegations, including corruption, against then-army chief Aziz. The army headquarters and the Foreign Ministry issued statements calling the report ‘false’ and ‘slanderous’.
Aziz said at the time that many kinds of ‘disinformation’ were being spread about the army in order to create ‘unrest’.