HC asks MP Shawkat to pay back Tk 25cr

The High Court yesterday directed Jaitya Party lawmaker Shawkat Chowdhury to return Tk 25 crore to Bangladesh Commerce Bank Ltd (BCBL) within 50 days or face cancellation of his bail in cases over misappropriation of Tk 94 crore as loan from the bank. 

Shawkat, in collusion with several other accused, had allegedly taken Tk 94 crore loan from one of its branches.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim issued the verdict after hearing a suomoto (voluntary) rule issued earlier over the legality of bail order by the lower court, said Barrister M Sarwar Hossain, the lawyer for Bangladesh Commerce Bank Ltd.

On May 8 and 10 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed two cases with Bangshal Police Station against Shawkat Chowdhury, lawmaker from Nilphamari-4; Md Asaduzzaman, the then managing director of BCBL; Habibul Gani, the then manager of BCBL Bangshal branch; and six others.