JSD lawmaker slams govt over inaction

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal MP Mayeen Uddin Khan Badal yesterday in parliament lambasted the government for not taking any action against those who embezzled thousands of crores of taka from different state-run financial banks including BASIC Bank.

Taking floor on a point of order after Finance Minister AMA Muhith placed a bill, Badal asked whether there is any way to stop such incidents of looting public money from state-owned banks.

Referring to BASIC Bank's former chairman Abdul Hye Bacchu, he said, "He was the one who masterminded the embezzlement of around Tk 3,000 crore from the bank but has got off scot-free. Does he stay in the sky? … Does the law cannot touch him?”

But far from being brought to book, those looters remain very close to state power, Badal regretted.

“As a lawmaker I will say that it is very unfortunate for the society, for the state as well as for the government that those who are responsible for looting public money stay close to state power. This is not fair,” he said.

The new budget has no meaning when the finance minister, terming these looters "very powerful", said out of his grief that he won't be able to touch them, The JSD MP said.

Badal also asked how the government will get enough money if crores of taka are being drained from the state-run banks in this way.

He also said it is an easy way to make a fortune by taking thousands of crores of money from banks as loan and loot that money after some years.

'It is easy to take a huge amount of money as loan from banks by showing some assets exaggerating its real value. After some years, banks write off these loans and those who looted the money become traceless,” added Badal.

The Awami League-led ruling alliance MP said the government applies “strange process of maintaining silence” to deal with those incidents of embezzlement when newspapers write about them, thinking people would forget everything.  But such incidents come to surface again, he added.

Seeking the Speaker's ruling to this end, the JSD MP said, “Somehow we have to stop it. These people are criminals. They are sucking people's blood. This should be resolved.”