M Azhar Uddin Bhuiyan and Saurov Dash Roni
The trailer of Al-Jazeera’s latest report “All the Prime Minister’s Men” was released in the social media with an impression that the premier of the report would actually constitute a coup d'etat in Bangladesh. After a not so prolonged hiatus, when the report was published, the impressive cinematography, background music and use of animation failed to measure up to the hype the trailer created.
The report is based on the secretly recorded videos of Mr. Haris, according to the Al-Jazeera a psychopath (00:06:42) and, a fugitive from the country who has fled a murder conviction. It presented before us some documents to allege that Mr. Haris and his brothers run the affairs of the state. In response to the report, we have received two press releases/rejoinders: one from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh and another from Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Defence Force of Bangladesh. In addition, we have also witnessed the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh’s reactions before the media.
Claims of Al-Jazeera vs government of Bangladesh’s response
In the following, we will logically deduce and weigh the evidence Al Jazeera has presented against each of the claims side by side with the press release and rejoinder of the Foreign Ministry and ISPR of Bangladesh.
1. Mr. Haris as the personal bodyguard of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
In support of the claim that Mr. Haris was a bodyguard of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Al-Jazeera showed one old photo from 1980-90s where Sheikh Hasina was delivering her speech and Mr. Harris was present on the stage behind her. While such an old photo does not prove that Mr. Haris was Sheikh Hasina’s bodyguard, it is widely known and the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh has emphatically said that Sheikh Hasina has never had any personal bodyguard ever, even when she was not the Prime Minister or the Opposition Leader of the Parliament.
It is beyond the understanding of a normal person how a
global media platform relies solely on the words of a person
whom they themselves call a psychopath
The Foreign Minister also said if by the term ‘bodyguard’, Al-Jazeera actually meant party activist, then there are millions of such bodyguards. In the absence of any other proof from Al-Jazeera except an old photo, such a claim cannot be believed at all.
2. Haris’s fake documents and proof of money laundering
Al-Jazeera showed, in the narration of David Bergmen, that the Ahmed brothers used DHL Express Service to send Mr. Haris a new passport and other documents. The displayed shipment number, delivery and pick up time reveals several serious discrepancies. The Al-Jazeera video shows a shipment number of the parcel which contained the passport and the other alleged fake documents: 1494602955. It also disclosed additional information that the parcel was picked up by DHL on 11 January 2015, 12.46 pm and delivered on 13 January 2015, 11.55 am to ship from Dhaka to Budapest.
However, recently made available archived data of DHL of that day reveals that DHL received no such request to ship from Dhaka to Budapest in that time. Moreover, this entire report is produced to prove one Ahmed family, allegedly backed by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, is involved in money laundering and illegal gain from military procurement. Even if the documents, Bergman showed that he received from DHL, are true and photocopies of the original document, it does not automatically prove that Mr. Haris is involved in money laundering. So the concern is about the probity of the evidence adduced. Where is the evidence of any money exchanging hands? Where is the proof of Sheikh Hasina backing Mr. Haris? Could Al-Jazeera show involvement of any state official with Mr. Haris?
When Al-Jazeera brings in the supposedly neutral experts on financial crimes, Graham Barrow, to talk about how the patterns of investment of Mr Haris, he said the pattern is not inconsistent with financial crime.
But that neither proves the commission of a financial crime nor Graham Barrow himself opined that there is clear evidence of money laundering. It could as easily be said that these documents and the stories indicate the fortune of a serial entrepreneur in a new country. We have heard similar stories of failure from many Bangladeshis in Europe. Considering them money laundering is eccentric at best and delusional and megalomaniacs at worst.
3. Mr. Haris’s involvement in procurement of Hungary made bullets and bunk beds by Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
The Al-Jazeera report claims Haris was a broker in Bangladesh Army’s procurement of bullets and Border Guard of Bangladesh’s procurement of bunk beds from Hungary. The first one is a procurement of Hungarian bullets by Bangladeshi Army. The secretly taped video shows (00:13:37) Mr. Haris is discussing the bullet purchase contract with Mr. Sami and later when the deal for that was taking place without his knowledge, he called someone from Budapest to stop it.
During the call, he requested, allegedly someone from the military intelligence of Bangladesh, to try to pursue that contract for Mr. Haris. He claimed that the Prime Minister said “If Haris wants to do something, let him do it. We will help him”. However, whether that was a solid bluff from an alleged psychopath is not verifiable and whether Mr. Haris ultimately managed the contract or deal was not revealed by Al-Jazeera in the show. They failed to produce any evidence that Mr. Haris’s request/bully was ultimately successful in obtaining the deal.
In support of the claim for a contract of procurement of bunk bed by BGB, Al-Jazeera presents a letter of proposal to the Border Guard of Bangladesh from the Bay-of-Bengal company that Mr. Haris owns. In the entire video, we do not observe any evidence of collusion amongst General Aziz Ahmed and his brother Haris Ahmed. How the presentation of a proposal letter without a subsequent letter of acceptance of such proposal is crime is a mystery that Al-Jazeera needs to unveil.
4. Mr. Haris’s influence in making key appointments and breakthrough deals in Bangladesh
The Al-Jazeera report shows Mr. Haris negotiating for his take from an international hotel company where there is a Bangladeshi-Irish business consultant advising him. In the meeting, they claimed Mr. Haris’s brother actually runs the country. In another part of the video Mr. Haris claimed he makes the Ministers of Bangladesh dance when it is necessary.
He claimed that he sets the postings and promotions of top law enforcement officials. But Al-Jazeera could not show us any single example of someone who got a key position in the Government or the law enforcement because of his intervention? It is beyond the understanding of a normal person how a global media platform relies solely on the words of a person whom they themselves call a psychopath.
(To be continued)
Md Azhar Uddin Bhuiyan teaches law at the Dhaka International University, Bangladesh.
Saurov Dash Roni is a freelance journalist
