BB Deputy Governor barred from traveling abroad

Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Dr Md Habibur Rahman was barred from traveling to Namibia to attend a government programme. He was scheduled to depart on a 5:00 pm flight from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Sunday (31 August), but immigration authorities stopped him at the last moment.

According to central bank sources, a total of 11 Bangladesh Bank officials, including Dr. Habibur, had been invited to attend the event in Namibia. While the other 10 officials were able to travel, Dr. Habibur was the only one barred.

Airport authorities stated that Dr. Habibur had completed the immigration process and was waiting to board when he was suddenly called aside and informed that, per government instructions, he was not allowed to travel abroad. The authorities expressed regret over the incident.

Recently, the Ministry of Finance submitted a list to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for investigation of alleged corruption. The list included the names of central bank governors, deputy governors, and managing directors and directors of 26 public and private banks. It is reported that this list was also shared with immigration authorities.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August last year, several top officials of Bangladesh Bank—including Deputy Governors Kazi Saidur Rahman and Khurshid Alam, BFIA Chief Md. Masud Biswas, and Policy Adviser Abu Farah Md. Nasir—resigned amid internal unrest. However, Deputy Governors Dr. Habibur Rahman and Nurun Nahar, who were appointed during the previous Awami League government, remain in office.

Dr. Habibur was appointed Deputy Governor in February last year. Prior to this, he served as the Chief Economist of Bangladesh Bank. He completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Economics at Jahangirnagar University and joined the Research Department of Bangladesh Bank as Assistant Director in 1990. Later, under a USAID scholarship, he earned his Master’s and PhD degrees in Applied Economics from Eastern and Western Michigan Universities in the United States.