TK 118cr Loan Default: Court orders arrest of UZ polls candidate
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A Chattogram loan recovery court yesterday ordered the immediate arrest of an upazila parishad election candidate accused of defaulting on a Tk 118 crore loan.
The candidate Jasim Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Jasika Group, is vying for the chairman post of Chandanaish upazila parishad.
His loans worth Tk 118 crore were taken from Padma and Sonali banks.
The Chattogram Money Loan Court Judge Mujahidur Rahman, while issuing the directive yesterday, called Jasim a "wilful defaulter".
The judge had previously issued an arrest warrant against Jasim on April 30, sentencing him to five months of prison.
"He is campaigning unabated even though there is an arrest warrant against him. This is a defeat of the powers of the state to bank looters," Mujahidur said.
He questioned why the police station concerned was not arresting Jasim.
"He is not repaying the loan in spite of having the means to do so. He was given a chance to repay the loan without any interest, but instead of doing so, he is leading a luxurious life.
"He is spending the loan for purposes other than the one he was given the money for. Instead of paying it back, he is generously distributing it in the constituency he is running in," the judge said in the order.
He added, "Even though an arrest warrant has been issued against him, the officer-in-charge of the police station concerned is not paying any heed to it. The [Padma] bank has even asked Chandanaish police to act on the warrant but no steps are being taken."
He directed that a copy of the order be sent to the Chattogram superintendent of police and deputy inspector general.
Earlier, Padma Bank, to which Jasim owes Tk 89 crore, submitted a joint application on behalf of him to the court, requesting that the warrant issued against him be recalled.
Jasim had taken the loan in 2016 from the bank's Khatunganj Branch.
In response, the money loan court served a show cause to the bank's managing director, calling the application "unlawful".
The court had expressed displeasure that an application was made on behalf of the defendant without a written approval letter from the bank's board of directors.
On March 27, one of Jasim's properties was supposed to be auctioned off to repay some of his loans. However, he had showed up to the court and put a stop to it, promising a payment of Tk 3 crores.
The payment was never made, a court order said.
Jasim and his wife Tanzina Sultana Juhi are currently facing a travel ban put in place by the court as it attempts to recover the loans.
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