Tanvir, Tushar denied bail

A Dhaka court yesterday rejected Hall-Mark Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud and General Manager Tushar Ahmed bail in eight cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission for the Sonali Bank loan scam.
The ACC filed 11 cases against seven officials of the controversial Hall-Mark Group, including Tanvir and Tushar, a brother-in-law of Tanvir, and 20 officials of Sonali Bank in connection with a Tk 1,568 crore swindle.
Tanvir and Tushar were arrested at Pallabi in the capital Sunday night and remanded for 24 days in three cases the following day.
Tanvir was also placed on an additional five days' remand in an arms case. The Rapid Action Battalion filed the arms case as he had been arrested with a gun, four bullets and a magazine.
According to an audit report, the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch of Sonali Bank had disbursed Tk 3,606 crore in loans to Hall-Mark and five other companies against fake documents.
Bangladesh Bank also revealed massive irregularities in sanctioning and disbursing the loans, especially to the little-known Hall-Mark.