Fate of 56 cases rest on countries where funds were transferred
The fate of 56 cases filed over embezzlement of Tk 2,036 crore from BASIC Bank now depends on replies from countries where the accused reportedly transferred the money.
“We’ve filed MLAR [Mutual Legal Assistance Request] to some countries to track where the money had gone,” said Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Iqbal Mahmood.
However, the ACC chief could neither specify the number of countries to which MLAR had been sent nor give any deadline for completion of the approximately four-year-long investigation of the cases.
Iqbal was responding to queries from journalists at a ‘meet the press’ programme organised by Reporters Against Corruption (RAC) at ACC’s Segunbagicha headquarters.
BASIC Bank was embroiled in financial irregularities following Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu’s appointment as its chairman in 2009.
In 2012 and the next year, Bangladesh Bank detected the embezzlement of Tk 4,500 crore from the bank.
The anti-graft authority in 2015, filed 56 cases for the embezzlement of Tk 2,036 crore out of the Tk 4,500 crore. However, Bacchu was not made accused in any of the cases.
‘WHO ARE YOU?’
In October this year, ruling party lawmaker Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh came down heavily on the ACC Chairman for not making Bacchu an accused in the cases and asked the latter to resign.
“We’re not concerned about who says what. It’s a constitutional institution. You can ask for my resignation, that’s not a problem,” said Iqbal when his attention was drawn to the lawmaker’s remark.
“It is under investigation... How can you say Bacchu’s name won’t come up? It’s our mandate to investigate the matter, not yours. Who are you?” said the ACC Chairman.
Iqbal said, “It won’t work if you dictate us to implicate Bacchu... We can’t accept this kind of suggestion.”
He said that investigation officers had submitted reports on the cases related to BASIC Bank to the three-member commission for approval.
“We didn’t approve them because the investigation reports lack trails of the money. To prove the case in the court, we need to track the money,” he added.
Asked whether the Anti-Corruption Committee will file any case against any big fish for involvement in illegal casino business, Iqbal said they have already interrogated several accused.
“We’re now cross-checking whose names have come up during the interrogation. We’ll go after the persons whose names have come up in the testimonies of several accused,” said ACC Chairman.
ACC’s Commissioner AFM Aminul Islam, top officials, RAC President Morshed Noman and General Secretary Aditya Arafat were present at the programme, among others.
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