Misappropriating Tk 3.78cr: Three former AB Bank officials among four get 13-year sentence

A  Dhaka court yesterday sentenced four people, including three former  officials of AB Bank Ltd, to 13 years' rigorous imprisonment in absentia  for misappropriating Tk 3.78 crore from the bank.

Judge  Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 of Dhaka handed down  the sentence and also fined them Tk 2 crore and 10 thousand each.

If they fail to pay the fine, they will have to serve another year in jail.

The  accused are: Abu Saleh Md Abdul Mazed, former senior vice-president and  branch manager; Faruk Ahmed Bhuiyan, former principal officer of AB  Bank in Motijheel Branch; ANM Bodiuzzaman, former vice-president of  Mohakhali's AB Bank; and Khondaker Md Alam Nadim, proprietor of M/S  One Thread & Accessories Ltd.

All the accused went into hiding upon getting bail from courts on different dates, according to the prosecution. The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the court added.

Earlier, the court recorded statements of 11 prosecution witnesses, including the case's complainant.

According  to the prosecution, it was alleged that Nadim in January 2014 took Tk  3,78,88,000 as loan from AB Bank and later misappropriated the money  in collusion with the bank officials.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case against  them with Motijheel Police Station on February 9, 2015.

After investigation, ACC Deputy Assistant Director Md Zainul Abedin pressed charges against the four on January 21, 2016. The court framed charges against them on February 24 last year.