The United States announced on Monday that it had placed Bangladesh’s former army chief, retired General Aziz Ahmed, on a visa blocklist following accusations of awarding military contracts to benefit his family and accepting bribes.
The State Department has declared Ahmed and his immediate family ineligible for entry into the U.S., invoking a law to combat corruption. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller highlighted that Ahmed’s conduct undermined the integrity of Bangladesh’s democratic institutions and eroded public trust.
In 2021, an Al Jazeera documentary accused Ahmed of exploiting his position for personal gain and assisting two of his brothers in fleeing Bangladesh to evade legal consequences. The State Department also noted that Ahmed facilitated his brother’s evasion of legal accountability for crimes in Bangladesh.
Furthermore, Ahmed was involved in the corrupt practices of securing military contracts and receiving bribes for government appointments, actions that primarily served his interests. Ahmed, who retired from military service in 2021 as a close ally of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, rose through the ranks. Recently, Hasina commenced her fifth term in office following a highly contested election.
While the U.S. generally maintains cordial relations with Bangladesh, particularly in security cooperation with Prime Minister Hasina, it has expressed concerns over democratic backsliding. The U.S. has previously imposed visa restrictions on Bangladeshi nationals who have been accused of disrupting democratic processes.
