Court directs Gulf Air to produce copilot for quizzing over pilot’s death
Court
A Dhaka court has directed the Gulf Air authorities to bring copilot Khalil Abdul Razak before the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) for questioning in a case over the death of the airline's pilot Mohannad Yousef Hassan Al Hindi.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court-8 gave the order on Monday after the police bureau, and the victim's family applied for holding a hearing session in the criminal case against United Hospital and others allegedly for being negligent in the treatment of Mohannad Yousef. The Gulf Air pilot passed away on 14 December last year at United Hospital.
According to the court's order, Gulf Air, represented by its Country Manager Isa Shah, has to present a key witness to the case: copilot Khalil Abdul Razak, for questioning by the PBI. The directive follows the airline's refusal to respond to the PBI's repeated requests to cooperate in the investigation.
The victim's sister Tala Elhendy Josephano has claimed that the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh seeks to benefit from "turning a blind eye" to Gulf Air's security negligence in the death of her brother. The state-run aviation authority is apparently Ignoring Gulf Air's violations of safety procedures as the Bahraini company has made "fake promises" to help the national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines reenter the US airspace, she alleged.
The Civil Aviation Authority can't even produce CCTV footage of the airport on the day of Mohannad Yousef's death, she claims. The US Federal Aviation Administration is being notified of Gulf Air's alleged misdeeds, Josephano added.
Tala Elhendy Josephano arrived in Bangladesh on 26 January, and personally investigated the death of her brother by trying to obtain information and documents from United Hospital.
The PBI report submission has been postponed to 2 October due to delays caused by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council in submitting its report and Gulf Air's foot dragging over presenting key witnesses and evidence pertaining to Isa Shaah's actions on the day of Mohannad Yousef's death allegedly due to negligence at the hospital.
On 5 September, Gulf Air issued a false statement claiming that they were fully cooperating with the PBI's investigation.
The victim's family will pursue charges against Gulf Air, Isa Shah, and Khalil for obstructing justice and withholding evidence.
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