The US Department of State has put Bangladesh’s former army chief Aziz Ahmed on a visa blacklist on allegations of bribery and improperly awarding military contracts for personal gain, according to Bloomberg.
The former general was found to have engaged in “significant corruption,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Ahmed, who retired in 2021, and his immediate family members will be ineligible to enter the US.
“His actions have contributed to the undermining of Bangladesh’s democratic institutions and the public’s faith in public institutions and processes,” Miller said in a statement on Monday.
The US, the biggest buyer of Bangladesh’s exports, has been a vocal critic of the government and its handling of the elections earlier this year that saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extend her grip on power. Washington has, in the past, imposed visa curbs on members of Hasina’s party and law enforcement officials.
The State Department said Ahmed had been “interfering in public processes while helping his brother to 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,” it said in the statement.
