National Board of Revenue (NBR) Member Mohammad Belal Hossain Chowdhury, who had received approval to attend a training program in Indonesia, flew to Sydney instead on the night of Thursday, September 18, 2025, violating the approved travel plan.
Chowdhury’s actions have raised concerns within the NBR, particularly as he is currently under investigation for several corruption-related charges.
The training, titled “Data Center Management and Reporting,” was initially scheduled for September 14 but was rescheduled to September 21–27. Despite the change, Chowdhury chose to disregard the approved trip and travel to Sydney, raising serious questions about his conduct.
Chowdhury is facing multiple allegations, including gold theft at Benapole Customs, money laundering through Bitcoin, unauthorized foreign travel, obtaining foreign citizenship for his family, and bribery. Additionally, a Dhaka court had imposed a travel ban on him due to these ongoing investigations.
NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said he was unaware of Chowdhury’s travel to Sydney.
“I am not aware of his travel to Sydney. However, Belal had obtained court permission for his trip to Indonesia. He previously traveled to Japan under similar circumstances,” Khan told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Chowdhury’s unauthorized trip has drawn criticism within the NBR.
“Traveling to Sydney with approval for Indonesia is a clear violation of service rules. He must be held accountable for this,” said another senior NBR official.
On September 11, 2025, the Internal Resources Division issued a government order approving Chowdhury and 10 other NBR officials to travel to Indonesia for the training.
The trip was funded by Star Tech Ltd., a computer hardware company under investigation for money laundering by the NBR. It raised further concerns about the legitimacy of the funding.
“The legitimacy of the training trip’s funding source is under question,” the official said seeking anonymity.
Chowdhury’s unauthorized trip has added complexity to an already troubling investigation. His actions, particularly while under investigation for serious charges, have sparked public outrage and raised questions about accountability within the NBR.
“I don’t know about the trip. He got approval from the Internal Resources Division. However, he must be questioned after returning to the country,” Moazzem Hossain, NBR Member for Customs and VAT Administration, told Times of Bangladesh.
With multiple scandals already surrounding the NBR, the organisation now faces further pressure to restore public trust.
“Belal has clearly violated government regulations. No one is permitted to travel to a different country using approval granted for another. Such an act warrants punishment,” said Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman.
