DHAKA, 4 July 2004 — Bangladesh has launched an investigation into a scam that caused huge financial losses to Bangladesh Biman’s cargo operations in Dubai. The three-member probe team will be led by Joint Secretary M. Shahabuddin.
Sources in Dhaka said yesterday a number of cargo sub-agents in Dubai connived with Biman staff to swindle the national carrier of millions of taka in revenue. Evidence indicates the sub-agents have been recording and paying for a much smaller volume of goods than was actually shipped by the airline.
Biman’s general sales agents are Dnata in Dubai and Transworld in Sharjah.
In the scam, cargo operators would prepare separate copies of the same airbill, one artificially low one for the Dubai end and one for Dhaka showing the actual weight of the cargo. The operators would pocket the difference in charges and pay kickbacks to conniving Biman officials.
In some cases, copies of the same document with the same airway bill number would name different cargo operators.
Thus one airway bill, numbered 997-8897-2520, dated May 17 and charged to M/s Dhaka Trade International, shows a 228 kg consignment in five pieces was handled by Darwish Murad Clearing and Shipping Services. Another copy of the same bill but dated May 18 shows that M/s Tour Care Travel and Cargo handled 2,880kg involving 25 pieces for the same client. The first copy of the document charges 4,455 dirham and the second 54,855 dirham to the same customer.
Biman’s finance manager in Dubai first pointed out the discrepancy to the airline’s controller of accounts in June and hinted such frauds might have been taking place for some time.
He re-checked all available airway bills with the cargo manifest kept at the airport, and found a huge weight discrepancy.
