Do not leave country

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday issued a notice asking ex-chairman of the Farmers Bank's executive committee Mahabubul Haque Chisty, his family members and 11 others not to leave the country.

ACC issued the notice as the commission is inquiring a recent scam of the bank.

ACC sent copies of the notice to senior secretary of home ministry and additional commissioner of police (special branch), said ACC's Public Relations Officer (PRO) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya.

Family members are Chisty's wife Rozi Chisty, sons Rashedul Haque Chisty and Majedul Haque Chisty, daughter Rimi Chisty and daughter-in-law Farhana Ahmed.

Others are Farmer Bank's former managing director AKM Shamim, current Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Abdul Motaleb Patwary, Senior Executive Vice President Gazi Salahuddin, Executive Vice President Mohammed Zahangir Alam Mozumder, Senior Vice President Zia Uddin Ahmed, Vice Presidnet Lutful Hoque, Vice President Manirul Haque, First Vice President Tafazzal Hossain, Assistant Vice President Mohammad Shamsul Hasan Bhuiyan, Executive officer Zakir Hossain and Assistant Executive Officer Mahbub Ahmed.

Bangladesh Bank has recently unearthed a string of scams at the Farmers Bank involving loans of around Tk 500 crore that were sanctioned to 11 companies in violation of banking norms and procedures.

After that, the commission began inquiry.

ACC unearthed that about Tk 150 crore has been transferred to Chisty and his family members' accounts recently.

“The money was embezzled in collaboration with the bank officials,” ACC source said.

ACC SUMMONS AL LAWMAKER HAROON 

Meanwhile, almost four years after finding elements of corruption against Awami League lawmaker from Jhalakathi BH Haroon, ACC yesterday summoned him for recording his statement.

He was asked to appear before ACC on April 11 at around 10:00am.

Haroon, also the then vice chairman of Premier Bank, stole Tk 134 crore from the account of a client, Khalilur Rahman, in 2008 in collusion with some bank officials.

ACC in its inquiry found evidence but no steps were taken. “The inquiry was stalled,” said an ACC official wishing to be unnamed.

Replying to a question, he said, “… the inquiry officer will have to start from the beginning.”

ACC appointed its Assistant Director Gulshan Anowar Pradhan to inquire about the matter.

Khalilur, also joint secretary general of Jatiya Party (Manju), had partnership in construction business with Haroon.

Documents show that construction firm Rumi Enterprise, owned by Khalilur, got a Tk 203 crore work order for building 15,000 houses in Sidr affected areas in southern Bangladesh in June 2008. The project was funded by the Saudi government.

In July, Khalilur opened an account with Bangshal branch of Premier Bank to make transactions for the project. He received Tk 203.06 crore from the Saudi government through seven cheques.

Khalilur withdrew Tk 69.11 crore from the account, and kept the remaining Tk 133.95 crore deposited in his account.

The bank's then vice chairman Haroon, additional managing director Abu Hanif Khan and one Shamsuddin along with several others faked his signature and withdrew the money between October and November 2008.

Khalilur then approached Bangladesh Bank, finance ministry and the ACC.

The BB finally launched an investigation into Khalilur's allegations in 2013. It found that the Premier Bank disbursed the money though the signature of the account holder and those on the cheques didn't match.