Google Alert – BD Army
Tarique Siddique rose to prominence in the armed forces to consolidate Sheikh Hasina’s absolute grip on power. That’s why she appointed her relative as a military adviser. Unofficially, he controlled the armed forces. Gradually, however, Tarique Siddique became known as “Mr. Twenty Percent.” Not only in military procurement, but in all kinds of purchases, Tarique Siddique emerged as a key figure.
As the head of the Awami League’s mafia faction, he gained Sheikh Hasina’s trust and confidence through suppressing the opposition via enforced disappearances, killings, eliminating dissent, and torturing opponents in the infamous “Ayina Ghar” (Mirror Room). Using this trust as a shield, he expanded his web of corruption across all sectors.
An investigation into Tarique Siddique’s corruption reveals that, initially, he focused on military procurements. He controlled decisions on where to buy weapons, ammunition, armored vehicles, etc. To ensure these purchases went smoothly and without scrutiny, he placed his preferred people in key positions so they could assist him. Over time, he expanded his corrupt activities, involving himself in major procurement projects.
After the Awami League came to power, the government initiated projects to increase the number and quality of international airports in Bangladesh. Three international airport development projects were undertaken — a “brainchild” of Tarique Siddique. Through these projects, he embezzled huge sums of money. Investigations show that, through corruption in the development projects for Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Sylhet Osmani International Airport, and Cox’s Bazar International Airport, Tarique Siddique misappropriated about Tk 812 crore. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed three separate cases against Tarique Siddique and 19 others on January 7 this year at the Dhaka Integrated District Office-1.
One case statement says that in the “Installation of Radar with CNS-ATM” project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Aeroness International Ltd was involved in radar installation work done by Thales LAS France SAS. The company’s managing director, Mahbubul Alam, was a close associate of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s military adviser, Tarique Ahmed Siddique. Influenced by Siddique’s power, former senior secretary Md. Mohibul Haque and former joint secretary Janendra Nath Sarkar signed a government-to-government contract with the French company Thales LAS without competitive bidding. Aeroness International Ltd became involved as a co-contractor, acting as the local agent.
The project cost Tk 730 crore, paid entirely from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) funds. ACC investigations found that Thales specializes in radar construction and is not involved in civil construction work. However, Tk 150 crore was allocated for constructing a control tower building without specific design specifications. By bypassing PPR-2008 procurement rules, they avoided open tender and went with non-competitive G2G bidding. Allegations suggest civil and mechanical works were merged strategically to benefit Aeroness International Ltd financially.
In another case, Tarique Siddique and 10 others were accused regarding the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport expansion (Third Terminal) project, awarded to Aviation Dhaka Consortium (ADC). Aeroness International Ltd was again involved. Violating rules, the estimated project cost was increased from Tk 13,000 crore to Tk 21,000 crore, enabling the embezzlement of Tk 2,000 crore.
In Sylhet Osmani International Airport’s expansion project, Aeroness International Ltd acted as a co-contractor, obtaining the work order through illegal advantages. Sometimes directly, sometimes as a foreign company’s local agent, Aeroness was involved in multiple airport projects. In the Tk 2,000 crore Sylhet project, Tk 212 crore was taken in advance and misappropriated.
At Cox’s Bazar International Airport, Tk 1,500 crore in irregularities occurred in terminal and runway construction. In awarding the project to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Tarique Ahmed Siddique and others collaborated.
Using the National ID (NID) database, Tarique Siddique alone siphoned off around Tk 400 crore. Though Tiger IT officially managed the database, its real controller was Sheikh Hasina’s security adviser, Major General (Retd) Tarique Siddique.
A reliable Election Commission source revealed that, for 15 years, the NID database of around 125 million citizens remained vulnerable due to these individuals. Tiger IT’s head, Ziaul Ahsan, who lives in the US, is closely tied to Tarique Siddique. World Bank investigations revealed that Siddique took crores in bribes by exploiting the NID database. In 2019, the World Bank blacklisted Tiger IT for corruption in the Smart Card project. Despite serious allegations, Tiger IT remained untouchable due to ties with the Sheikh family.
Officials involved said that “Porichoy.com,” an NID verification service provider, and Tiger IT had close links to Siddique. They failed to develop software properly, leaving the database at constant risk. Brigadier General Salim Uddin Khan, as director of the IDEA project, identified vulnerabilities and ordered Tiger IT to hand over full technical details within 15 days. This angered Siddique, leading to Salim’s removal within a week and Tiger IT’s strengthened grip.
Recently, the Election Commission appointed BUET’s CSE Department to separate and secure the voter database from Tiger IT.
Siddique also leveraged influence, along with the then-Road Transport Minister, to get Tiger IT projects from BRTA without tenders or scrutiny. Evaluation committees excluded competitors under political pressure. Allegations say Siddique and his wife, Shahnaz, earned massive sums through government commission deals.
When Awami League pledged “Digital Bangladesh,” this family reaped benefits, monopolizing tenders and securing hefty commissions.
Investigations also reveal Tiger IT’s chairman, Ziaur Rahman, was complicit in leaking citizens’ personal data with the help of NTMC’s top official Major General Ziaul Ahsan. After regime change, NTMC officials faced legal action, but Ziaur Rahman remained untouched. Under Siddique and Shahnaz’s patronage, Tiger IT, IBCS-Primax, and Computer Services Ltd worked on NTMC’s surveillance projects, taking commissions from importing illegal equipment. For over 13 years, Tiger IT controlled BRTA tenders, blocking new competitions.
In 2019, the World Bank blacklisted Tiger IT for 9.5 years and Ziaur Rahman for 6.5 years for corruption in a smart card printing project. This means Tiger IT cannot participate in WB tenders until 2027 and Ziaur Rahman until 2025. Despite this, under Siddique’s influence, Tiger IT kept securing BRTA work without tenders.
Even after their contract with BRTA was canceled, Tiger IT continued working on the Security Printers project. Siddique awarded projects from the Election Commission, Passport Office, and WASA to favored companies, extracting large sums in return.
For every project he awarded, Tarique Siddique allegedly took a 20% commission, earning him the nickname “Mr. Twenty Percent.”