Bismillah Group Scam
ACC files 12 cases against 53 people
The Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday filed 12 cases against 53 people for swindling about Tk 990.03 crore out of a total of Tk 1,200 crore from five banks by Bismillah Group.
Five officials of the filed the cases with Matijheel, Ranma and New Market police stations, an ACC official told reporters at a news briefing at the commission media centre.
The cases were filed after the commission approved the probe reports on Wednesday, the official said.
He said that people involved in the case committed the scam through fake documents in the name export and import business.
The cases were filed against 13 Bismillah Group bosses, 12 Janata Bank officials, eight Prime Bank officials, seven Premier Bank officials, five Jamuna Bank officials and seven Shahjalal Islami Bank officials.
The Bismillah Group executives accused in the case are : director Khwaja Solaiman Anwar Choudhury, its chairperson Nowrin Hasib, also Solaiman’s wife, directors Safiqul Anwar Choudhury, also Solaiman’s father, Abida Hasib, Nahid Anwar Khan, Khandakar M Moinuddin Ashraf and Sarwar Jahan, deputy managing director Akbar Aziz Muttaki, general managers Abul Hossain Choudhury, Riaz Uddin Ahmed, Network Framework System limited chairman M Akter Hossain, Express and Faridpur Shipping Line Limited owner M Moin Uddin, and owner of Bay Yarn Limited Ghulam Moinuddin Ahmed.
The commission prosecuted Janata Bank Ramna corporate branch manager Abdus Salam Azad, deputy general managers Azimul Haque and SM Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal, assistant general managers Jesmin Akter, Ajoy Kumar Ghosh, Faizur Rahman Bhuiyan and Mustak Ahmed Khan, senior executive officers Syed Joynul Abdin, Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, SM Shoyeb-ul-Kabir and Atiqur Rahman and former Magbazar branch manager Rafiqul Alam.
Prime Bank branch managers Mozammel Hussain and Khondakar Iqbal Hossain, vice-precedent M Ibrahim Hossain Gazi, assistant vice-presidents Kazi Khairul Islam and ABM Sahjahan, senior executive officers M Iqbal Azim Quadri, AKM Jan-e-Alam and M Abul Kalam were also sued.
The commission also prosecuted Premier Bank senior assistant vice-president Mohammad Sahinur Rahman, former deputy manager GM Sahadat Hossain, first assistant vice-president MA Rahim, deputy manager Sahabuddin Sardar, former credit in-charge M Tanzibul Alam and former executive officers Abu Selah Arifur Rahman and Tabassum.
Jamuna Bank senior assistant vice-presidents Rafiqul Hasan and M Murshedur Rahman, senior executive officers Jahidul Islam, M Mozammel Hossain and ASM Mashuk were also accused.
Shahjalal Islami Bank former branch manager M Aslamul Haque, former deputy general manager Hasanul Kabir, senior executive officer M Shahidul Islam, junior executive officer Mannatul Mawla, former senior executive vice-president M Ghulam Wahab, first assistant vice-president Munir Hossain and senior vice-presidents Dulal Hossain and Anisul Kabir were also prosecuted.
The official said that the group with the help of the bank officials embezzled Tk 392.57 crore from Janata Bank, Tk 306.22 crore from Prime Bank, Tk 163.79 crore from Jamuna Bank, Tk 148.79 crore from Shahjalal Islami Bank and Tk 62.97 crore from Premier Bank in three years.
After an eight-month inquiry, a five-member probe team led by ACC official Syed Iqbal filed the cases.
During the inquiry the probe team interrogated Jamil Hasan Durjoy, son of Awami League lawmaker Rahmat Ali, and Mohammad Ali, son of AL lawmaker Subid Ali Bhuiyan.
Iqbal said that the probe team did not find their involvement in the scam. ‘But we will further scrutinise the matter at the investigation level’, he said.
He said that two lawmaker’s sons were paid director of the Bismillah Group, but they were not linked with banking tasks on behalf of the group.
Iqbal said that all the accused of Bismillah Group excluding the deputy managing director Akbar Aziz Muttaki were fugitives.
An official said that Solaiman now lives in Dubai, Nowrin and Safiqul in America, Abul Hossain in Malaysia and Moinuddin in Germany.
-With New Age input
