ATAB Administrator Finds Major Fund Mismanagement

The administrator of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) has uncovered major financial irregularities committed during the tenure of the organisation’s dissolved executive committee, including misuse of members’ funds and unauthorised cash withdrawals.

In an official letter issued on 22 October, ATAB’s outgoing administrator and Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Motakabbir Ahmed, said multiple discrepancies surfaced soon after he took charge.

According to the letter, between 16 July and 25 September 2025, the previous committee collected BDT 4.596 million from 91 members for “fam trips” — familiarisation visits arranged for travel agents. Before this collection, ATAB’s bank account held BDT 4.138 million.

However, refund requests from members began arriving within a week of the administrator’s appointment. The report found that 84 members were owed BDT 4.192 million, an amount missing from the organisation’s accounts. Only a handful of members received partial refunds.

The administrator also reported that between 10 July and 4 August 2025, a total of BDT 4.5 million was withdrawn from ATAB’s bank account through four cheques — transactions described as “beyond authorised limits” under Article 53(a) of ATAB’s constitution.

At the time of assuming office, ATAB’s account contained just BDT 3.045 million, far less than the total funds collected, leaving the association unable to reimburse all participants.

The administrator sent letters to former President Abdus Salam Aref, former General Secretary Afsia Jannat Saleh, and former Treasurer Shafik Ullah Nantu, urging them to return the missing funds immediately or face legal action.

The Ministry of Commerce had earlier dissolved ATAB’s executive committee over financial irregularities and appointed an administrator to restore transparency and accountability in the organisation’s financial management.

Copies of the administrator’s letter were also forwarded to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and the Director General of the Office of Trade Organisations.

Ministry sources said preparations are underway to launch a formal probe to assess the extent of financial losses and determine whether the former leaders breached trust or violated their official duties.

Representing more than a thousand travel agencies across the country, ATAB is a key player in Bangladesh’s civil aviation and tourism sectors. The revelations have raised serious concerns among travel agents about the organisation’s financial transparency and governance.