Allegations of financial misconduct have surfaced against Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, just days after Bangladesh’s 12 February elections and amid preparations for a leadership transition, placing the outgoing administration under its first major cloud of controversy.
Taiyeb, who held the status of a state minister, left the country shortly after the elections. While government advisers insist he formally took leave and completed his responsibilities, critics have questioned the timing of his departure, triggering political debate at a sensitive moment.
Timing of exit draws scrutiny
Taiyeb departed Bangladesh on an Emirates Airlines flight after what he described as his final working day on 10 February. In a Facebook statement, he said he had formally sought leave from the ICT Division, the Posts and Telecommunications Division, and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, adding that he purchased a return ticket and would return.
He said he travelled to attend a school meeting for his son and to respond to a medical emergency involving his wife. He also denied allegations of corruption, stating he had not committed “even one taka” of wrongdoing and invited independent audits to examine his record.
Allegations surface on social media
Speculation intensified after journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury alleged in a post on X that Taiyeb had accumulated large sums of money through corruption and left the country within hours of the elections by taking five days’ leave.
Choudhury described the departure as “mysterious” and questioned the circumstances of his exit. There has been no official confirmation of any corruption case against Taiyeb.
Mysterious departure of a key-aide of Muhammad Yunus!
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb. Special Assistant to Muhammad Yunus (with the status of State minister) was flown-in to Bangladesh in March 2025 despite the fact of Taiyeb being a Dutch citizen. During these months he allegedly made a… pic.twitter.com/6erl9vCNgT
— Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury (@salah_shoaib) February 15, 2026
Government rejects “drama” narrative
Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan dismissed suggestions of impropriety, saying Taiyeb had returned to his family in the Netherlands after completing state duties.
“What does it mean that Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb left? Before saying this, it must be said that he came to the country. He did not live here. He worked in the Netherlands. His family is there; his household is there,” she said.
Rizwana added that he had been away from his family for one and a half years to serve during a crisis period and that portraying his departure as secretive was an attempt to create unnecessary drama.
Political optics in transition period
The episode has unfolded at a delicate moment, and the timing has only added to the chatter. With the elections just concluded and a new leadership about to take charge, movements at the top are bound to attract attention.
Taiyeb was appointed on 5 March 2025 with the status of a state minister. During his tenure, he said he introduced management reforms and technology-driven transparency measures in telecommunications, claiming vested interests had resisted change.
No formal corruption case has been announced against him. However, the episode has become an early political flashpoint in the post-election environment.