Khaleda, Koko’s wife, daughters to face loan default trial

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Arafat Rahman Koko’s wife and their two daughters are to face trial in a loan default case.
A Dhaka court today granted a Sonali Bank petition to include the four as defendants in the case on behalf of Koko.
Judge Roksana Begum Happy passed the order after the state-run bank filed a petition to include Khaleda and three others to contest the case as Arafat Rahman Koko died on January 24.
Koko was made a defendant in the case filed for realizing Tk 45.59crore.
Sonali Bank on October 2, 2012 filed a money suit against 10 directors of Dandy Dyeing Ltd, including BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman and his brother Koko, for defaulting on a loan amounting to Tk 45.49 crore.
The company had borrowed Tk12.16 crore from the bank's principal office in Dhaka on October 16, 2001, according to the case statement.
As the company failed to pay it off, the principal loan plus interest accumulated over the last 11 years has amounted to Tk 45.49 crore.
The nine other accused include-- Arafat Rahman Koko, Giasuddin Al-Mamun and his wife Shahina Yasmine, Nasrin Iskander, wife of late Sayeed Iskander, Shams Iskander, Shafin Iskander, Sumaiya Iskander, Mozaffar Ahmed and Kazi Galib Abdus Sattar.
Nazrul Islam, senior executive officer of the bank's principal office filed the case with Artha Rin Adalat-1, while Hosne Ara Begum moved the suit for recovery of the loan.
Earlier, on June 4, 2009, Finance Minister AMA Muhith told the parliament that Dandy Dyeing had got a waiver of interest worth Tk12.16 crore on bank loans within a week after the BNP-Jamaat coalition came to power.
According to Muhith, Tarique, also son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had influenced the then government through the controversial Hawa Bhaban.