Dhaka court has imposed a travel ban on four South Korean nationals and one Bangladeshi official in connection with a TK 90 crore payment dispute related to the third terminal project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka issued the order on Thursday, barring South Korean citizens Kyungju Kang, Irkwan Choi, Juyok Yang, and Hisok Kim, along with Bangladeshi citizen Md Sayem Chowdhury, from leaving the country. The court also instructed the parties to resolve the matter through mutual settlement before the next hearing.

Md Zubair Akhter Chowdhury, Managing Director of Pleiades Construction and Consulting Ltd, filed the case with the Dhaka Metropolitan Court, alleging that ADC, the main contractor, failed to pay his company as per their subcontract agreement.

According to case documents, Pleiades Construction completed work on several parts of the Third Terminal Project, including Terminal-3, Multi-Level Car Parking, Export and Import Cargo Terminals, and several utility buildings such as the IPP, IPR, Generator House, STP, WSS, PWTP, AGS, RFFS Substation, and Main Building.

Zubair Akhter further claimed that ADC assigned additional work beyond the original contract but failed to pay nearly 90 crore taka owed for the completed work. Despite repeated requests for payment, the company did not respond, prompting him to seek legal recourse.

Airport's third terminal expansion project has been a major infrastructure development aimed at increasing passenger capacity and modernising facilities at Bangladesh's busiest international airport. Payment disputes between contractors and subcontractors have occasionally delayed progress on large-scale infrastructure projects in the country.

Court's decision to impose travel restrictions reflects the seriousness of the financial dispute and aims to ensure all parties remain available for legal proceedings and potential settlement negotiations.