Sonali Bank Scam
ACC sues 18 executives of 5 more cos, 17 bank officials
The Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday filed as many as 26 cases against 18 senior executives of five more companies and 17 officials of Sonali Bank over their alleged involvement in swindling of the bank’s money. Officials of ACC filed the cases with Ramna police under the Penal Code, Money Laundering Prevention Act-2012 and Corruption Prevention Act-1974 over their alleged involvement in swindling of Tk 350.37,82 crore (funded money) out total swindled money of about Tk 866.86 crore.
The money was swindled from the Sonali Bank’s Ruposhi Bangla hotel branch in total violation of banking rules between October 2011 and May 2012, ACC deputy director Mir Joynal Abedin Shibli told reporters.
Accused executives of the companies are : T & Brothers Limited chairman Zeenat Fatima, managing director Tawhid Hosain and director Taslim Hasan, Paragon Knit Composite Limited managing director Saiful Islam Raza, directors Abdullah Al Mamun and Mokul Hossain, Nakshi Knit Composite Limited chairman Amana
Begum, managing director Abdul Malak and its sister concern Supreme Papers & Accessories owner M Zamir Hossain, DN Sports Limited chairman Motaharuddin Chowdhury, managing director Shafiqur Rahman John, also son-in-law of Motaharuddin and director Fahmida Akhter Chowdhury, also wife of John and Khanjahan Ali Sweaters chairman Tazul Islam Molla, managing director Abdul Jalil Sheikh and directors Mir Mohammad Shawkat Ali and Rafiqul Islam.
Hallmark Group managing director Tanvir Mahmud and general manager Tushar Ahmed are also accused in two cases as introducers of bank account.
The accused officials of Sonali Bank Ruposhi Bangla hotel branch are former assistant general manager AKM Azizur Rahman, suspended assistant general manager Saiful Hasan, suspended executive officer Abdul Matin and senior executive officer Mehrunnisa Meri (now in Dhanmondi branch).
Accused officials of Sonali Bank’s head office are former managing director and chief executive officer Humayun Kabir, former deputy managing directors Mainul Haque and Atiqur Rahman, general manager ANM Masrurul Huda Siraji, former deputy general manager Shaikh Altaf Hussain, Safizuddin Ahmed and Kaniz Fatema Choudhury, suspended assistant general managers Kamrul Hossain Khan and Khurshid Alam.
Shibli said that the commission team began drives to arrest the accused people. According to the Corruption Prevention Act-1974, he said, the ACC has the authority to arrest the accused people in money laundering cases.
He said that the mastermind of bank money swindling was Nakshi Knit Composite managing director Abdul Malek who worked as an advisor of Hallmark Group.
‘After completing the Hallmark mission he started his own mission in the name of Nakshi Knit,’ Shibli said.
He said that Paragon Knit Composite Limited managing director Saiful Islam Raza also was a manager of the Hallmark. ‘He started his own business, while he gained enough capability to getting money from bank through fake documents,’ he added.
The commission inquiry found that there was relationship between former board of directors chairman of Sonali Bank Kazi Baharul Islam and the DN Sports Limited chairman Motaharuddin Chowdhury.
The commission team will probe the matter at its investigation level, officials said.
The ACC said that the T and Brothers Group embezzled Tk 609.69 crore, Paragon Group Tk 146.60 crore, Nakshi Knit Composite Limited Tk 66.36 crore, DN Sports Tk 33.25 crore and Khanjahan Ali Sweaters Limited Tk 4.96 crore.
The inquiry said that all the companies embezzled the bank money using inland bill purchase, foreign bill purchase, pre-shipment credit and payment against documents.
The Sonali Bank officials of International Trade Finance Division and some high officials were involved in the matter, it was revealed in the inquiry.
Shibli said that the former managing director of the bank, Humayun Kabir, did not take any action against any officials of the bank but he was concerned about the matter.
The commission on October 4 filed as many as 11 cases against seven officials of Hallmark Group and 20 officials of Sonali Bank, including Hallmark managing director Tanvir Mahmud and Sonali Bank former managing director Humayun Kabir over their alleged involvement in swindling of over Tk 1,568.39 crore [funded] out of total swindled money of about Tk 2,686 crore.
-With New Age input
