Customs official Ayub suspended
Customs Assistant Commissioner Md Ayub has been hit with administrative punishment over serious allegations of blatant defiance of strict government service regulations, obtaining multiple passports by falsely declaring his profession, repeatedly travelling abroad without authorisation from the relevant authority, and laundering large sums of money.
The Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the Ministry of Finance issued a notification on presidential order temporarily suspending him from service. The notification was issued on Monday.
Prior to the suspension, after a preliminary inquiry uncovered evidence of serious irregularities and breach of discipline, he was withdrawn from the Gazipur Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate on 27 August and attached to the IRD as an officer on special duty (OSD).
The notification states that despite being a government employee, Md Ayub travelled to India, China, Thailand, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia using multiple passports without proper authorisation from the relevant authority, from February 2018 to August 2026.
Given the serious nature of the money laundering allegations as well, a decision has been taken to initiate departmental proceedings against him. He has accordingly been temporarily suspended under the Government Servants Act.
According to investigative findings, between February 2018 and August 2026 he made a total of 25 highly suspicious trips to various countries without any specific departmental permission or government order (GO).
The frequent and unregulated foreign travel of a revenue official of this kind has drawn sharp criticism in administrative and social circles, raising questions over whether deep financial interests or a hundi-based money laundering network lie behind it.
An analysis of the figures shows that among the six countries he regularly visited over these eight years, he travelled most often to India 12 times in total. He also visited Thailand seven times, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) twice, China twice, and Malaysia and Singapore once each.
As a government official, he was required to obtain pre-approval and leave before every foreign trip, an obligation he completely disregarded.
Behind Ayub’s reckless foreign travel lies explosive information about outright fraud and the use of multiple active passports simultaneously.
He used three different passports at once, numbered BP03795, A033271 and A091834. Most seriously, despite being a government employee, he concealed his legal identity and listed his occupation as “private service” on one ordinary passport a clear violation of the Government Servants Act and a punishable offence.
A review of the documents gives a precise picture of his passport usage and travel timeline: BP03795 (his first, older passport) was used from August 2018 to January 2020, during which he travelled to India seven times. A033271 (second passport) was used from April 2022 to September 2024, during which he made 10 international trips to India, Thailand, the UAE and Malaysia.
A091834 (his most recent ordinary passport) was issued on 13 November 2024 (valid until 11 November 2034); using this passport, he made a further eight trips to Thailand, China and Singapore between December 2024 and June 2026.
His passport details even surfaced in connection with a sports body. To take part in the World Masters Athletics Championships held in Daegu, South Korea, from 20 August to 5 September 2026, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), on the nomination of the Bangladesh Athletics Federation, granted travel permission on 3 August to Ayub and to Md Shafiqul Islam, Assistant Commissioner of Dhaka (South) Customs. That official document also clearly listed his ordinary passport number A091834 as well as his previous passport number A033271.
Meanwhile, a written complaint has recently been filed with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) alleging that Md Ayub laundered abroad large sums of money obtained through bribery and corruption.
The complaint calls for a thorough investigation into his bank account statements, income tax records, annual asset declarations, the sources funding his extensive travel expenses, and his international financial transactions. In particular, there are strong calls to examine whether his use of an ordinary passport, concealment of his profession, and unauthorised international travel are linked to any acquisition of permanent property abroad.
Although he was removed from Gazipur and made an OSD, and subsequently suspended, immediately after the complaint was lodged with the ACC, the Ministry of Finance has made no comment on any administrative connection between the two events.
Despite repeated attempts to contact him, no statement could be obtained from the accused official, Md Ayub. This case, involving the alleged use of government rank as a shield for serious offences such as fraud and money laundering, has raised major questions over transparency and overall accountability within the Customs department.
