Dismislab on Wednesday debunked a document that went viral with claims that former US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas used the Dolonchapa VIP Lounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Tuesday, 5 August.
The fact-checking organisation confirmed the document is fake, dismissing rumours that Haas left the country that day.
Related: Haas in Washington, says press minister of Bangladesh's DC embassy
According to the document, Haas was a passenger of Emirates flight EK-583, which was set to depart at 7:10pm. According to dismislab, however, EK-583 had already departed earlier that day, at 10:52am.
Dismislab also pointed out that the name of the regulatory authority in the document is incorrect. It uses the Bangladesh Private Aviation Authority, whereas the official name is the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.
Related: Is Peter Haas in Cox's Bazar?
Further scrutiny revealed multiple errors in the designation of listed individuals. The fake document presents Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury as an additional secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, but he has been serving as the senior secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration since last year.
Similarly, Ruhul Alam Siddique is labelled as an additional secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although he has been on leave prior to retirement since June 20.
Lastly, the signature on the document belongs to Shahriar Chowdhury, who is no longer the responsible officer for that section. The current official in charge is Nasima Shaheen, Assistant Director (Avsec ID Permit) of CAAB.
Comments