New Appointment for CAAB's Chief Engineer After 15-Day Vacancy

After a 15-day vacancy, Mohammad Zakaria Hossain has been appointed as the acting Chief Engineer of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB). The decision was made unanimously by the board members of CAAB during a meeting on Monday, April 7. Zakaria Hossain assumes the role following the retirement leave of the previous Chief Engineer, Habibur Rahman, on March 22.

According to CAAB's Assistant Director of Public Relations, Kawser Mahmud, the decision was taken based on the opinions of the board members.

Earlier, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Manjur Kabir Bhuiyan had stated, "We will appoint the person who is considered capable, honest, and acceptable to everyone, in the best interest of the organization." Mohammad Zakaria Hossain was at the top of the initial list for the position, along with Shubhashish Barua, newly promoted Supervisory Engineer (Civil) A.H. Md. Nuruddin Chowdhury, and former Chief Engineer Shahidul Afruz. However, during Shahidul Afruz’s tenure, he was implicated in a case but was later cleared of any wrongdoing through a departmental investigation.

It is notable that the former Chief Engineer, Habibur Rahman, faced a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on charges of embezzling 812 crore Taka, which sparked widespread discussions regarding the high-ranking position at CAAB. On March 22, Rahman went on retirement leave, and shortly after, an ACC case was filed against him and 19 others for the alleged embezzlement. Lawyer Barrister Mohammad Solaiman Tushar filed a writ petition against Rahman in court. Despite this, a syndicate attempted to extend his contract as Chief Engineer for another year. This created dissatisfaction among other CAAB officials and staff.