Experts argue that defence procurement is usually kept secret under the guise of national security, allowing space for political influence, corruption and irregularities.
Kickbacks and corruption have become the norm in Bangladesh’s arms procurement. Air Marshal Hannan has been accused of embezzling more than $245 million from the Bangladesh Air Force’s annual budget and siphoning it out of the country to Canada, the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates.
Another case was filed in 2001 regarding the purchase of MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia during the Awami League government in 1999. Sheikh Hasina received more than $5 million in kickbacks for the purchase of MiG-29s from Russia.
Tulip Siddiq made millions of dollars from the last armour vehicle and Yak-130 jet procurement from Russia.
Recently, the Bangladesh air guard announced it will procure 20 fourth-generation aircraft without naming the plane or its country of origin. Still, speculation is mounting that Bangladesh will propose the Chinese J-10C or the Pakistani JF-17 Thunder.
Defence exports and Bangladeshi media question the motive behind buying Chinese jets, given that they have already proven a serious issue in Pakistan, Myanmar, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria.
The J-10C costs almost $45 million apiece, and the JF-17 Block III costs around $35 million. Even after accounting for armaments, spares, and training, 20 jets would not have cost $2.2 billion.
While European advanced jets like the Gripen E cost around $65 million, American F-16V Block 70 costs around $70 million. It’s unthinkable that the price of Chinese junk fighter jets will be inflated to $70 million apiece.
Bangladeshi media reported that Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan is following in his predecessor’s footsteps, siphoning billions from the country to the US, the UK, and the UAE by inflating the prices of the J-10C and JF-17 Block III to $70 million and $60 million, respectively.
On March 26 2024, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, a Hasina loyalist, was appointed the new chief of the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) by being elevated to the rank of air marshal after the retirement of corrupt pig Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan.
DGDP’s Price Gouging
The Director General of Defence Procurement (DGDP) also has a history of corruption in every tender Bangladesh’s military participates in.
Price gouging is a growing issue within Bangladesh’s arms purchases, and the examples are vast. It is a persistent feature that often goes unpunished and receives minimal, if any, government oversight. The Russian and Chinese arms industry is highly consolidated, with government procurement departments frequently locked into sole-source contracts with a limited number of suppliers in Bangladesh.
This arrangement grants DGDP the freedom to set whatever prices it wishes. While price gouging is not a new phenomenon, recent cases highlight how deeply entrenched this practice remains in Bangladesh.
Without civilian oversight into fighter jet procurement, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan most likely siphons $1 billion from the country to foreign countries.
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