Embezzling Tk 23Cr: Ex-Basic Bank chairman, 13 others charged

The Anti-Corruption Commission has pressed charges against former chairman of Basic Bank Abdul Hye Bacchu and 13 others in a case filed in connection with the embezzlement of Tk 23 crore.

The other accused are the bank's sacked managing directors Kazi Faqurul Islam and Shah Alam Bhuiyan, deputy managing directors Fazlus Sobhan and A Monaem Khan, assistant general managers Md Jalal Uddin, ASM Anisur Rahman Chowdhury, Sadia Akhter Shahin, and Rumana Ahad, and former general manager Md Ali Chowdhury.

Along with them, Ashraf Ahmed, managing director of Ahmed Oil Mills Ltd, its directors Nasrin Jahan Ratna and Iqbal Hossain Bhuiyan; managing partner of SD Survey Farm and its chief surveyor and partner Md Faruk are also accused in the case.

Md Ali, Iqbal Hossain, and Fazlus Sobhan are currently on bail, while Bachhu and 10 others are absconding.

On July 31, ACC Deputy Director Md Ibrahim submitted the charge sheet against them to the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court.

Ibrahim, also the case investigating officer, also appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against Bacchu and the 10 others as they did not get bail from any court.

The court has set August 16 for the next hearing to decide whether it will accept the charges against Bacchu and 13 others in the case.

On September 22, 2015, the ACC filed a case with Paltan Police Station against Faqurul and 11 others for their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Tk 23 crore.

Later, the IO included the names of Bacchu and Shah Alam in the charge sheet after discovering their involvement in the graft.

According to the case statement, on June 26, 2012, the accused bank officials sanctioned a loan of Tk 23 crore to Ashraf Ahmed and his wife Nasrin Jahan Ratna, proprietors of Ahmed Oil Mills Ltd without scrutinising any documents submitted on behalf of the company. The money was later embezzled in its entirety.

The ACC also filed 17 other cases on September 22, 2015, against a number of bankers and borrowers linked with the Tk 5,000-crore BASIC Bank scam between 2009 and 2013.

FOUR ORDERED TO SURRENDER

The High Court yesterday directed four Basic Bank officials to surrender before the lower court concerned in six weeks in connection with 20 corruption cases filed over the bank's loan scam.

The bench of Justices Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Khizir Hayat Lizu passed the orders after hearing 20 separate petitions filed by the accused officials seeking anticipatory bail in the 20 cases.

The four are Basic Bank's Assistant General Managers Sadia Akther Shahin, Romana Ahad, ASM Amitur Rahman, and Md Jalal Uddin.

During the hearing, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan produced the charge sheets of 20 corruption cases before the bench in compliance with its Wednesday's order.

The ACC has approved the charge sheets against former Basic Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu and 146 others in connection with 59 cases filed over embezzlement of Tk 2,265 crore.