The Ministry of Commerce has relieved Deputy Secretary Motakabbir Ahmed from his duties as the Administrator of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB). He has been succeeded by the Ministry's Joint Secretary, Dr. Saif Uddin Ahmad.
The Ministry of Commerce's Commerce Organization-2 branch issued an official order to this effect on Wednesday (October 22).
The order, signed by the Director General (Additional Charge) of the Ministry of Commerce, Muhammad Rehan Uddin, instructs the new Administrator, Dr. Saif Uddin Ahmad, to complete the election of ATAB's executive committee within four (4) months.
The order specifies that Dr. Saif Uddin must prepare an accurate voter list, complete the election, hand over responsibility to the newly elected committee within the stipulated time, and inform the Ministry accordingly.
The order further states that Dr. Saif Uddin Ahmad has been appointed as the new Administrator under Section 17 of the Commerce Organization Act, 2022, in the "greater interest" of ATAB.
However, there are widespread rumors that the reason behind Motakabbir Ahmed's removal is the ongoing controversy surrounding a ticket syndicate. It is alleged that after he took charge as Administrator, the price of Middle Eastern flight tickets began to skyrocket. Tickets normally sold for BDT 40,000 sometimes exceeded BDT 1 lakh. Sources suggest that there were discussions in relevant circles about Motakabbir Ahmed's close association with the active syndicate behind this abnormal price hike.
Furthermore, there are serious allegations that Motakabbir Ahmed himself exploited the syndicate to obtain tickets and travelled to London and various European countries with his family twice within two months. Although his Government Order (GO) only permitted travel to London, he allegedly travelled to several other European nations beyond the authorized itinerary.
Sources indicate that the value of the tickets for his two European trips, where he travelled Business Class with his family (each ticket costing around BDT 3 lakh), exceeds BDT 22 lakh.
A more grave accusation against him is that he held multiple meetings with individuals whose licenses were cancelled by the government and against whom lawsuits were filed for ticket manipulation and syndicate activities.
It is believed by the concerned circles that his removal from the post of Administrator comes against this backdrop of severe allegations.