Staff Reporter :The Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC] on Monday filed 18 cases simultaneously in three police stations in the capital against 153 officials after probing into the country’s most sensational loan scam in state-owned BASIC Bank.However, the ACC relieved former chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu from corruption charge. Interestingly, former Managing Director of the bank Fakhrul Islam has been sued in most of the cases.All the cases were filed with the city’s three police stations on Monday afternoon. Of them, eight cases were filed with Gulshan Police Station while five cases each were filed with Paltan and Motijheel police stations, ACC sources said. In the cases, the ACC framed charge against the accused persons of misappropriating Tk 650 crore from four branches of the BASIC Bank.Out of 153 accused, there are Deputy Managing Directors Fazlul Sobhan, Kanok Kumar Purkayashta and M Munaim Khan. Besides, Assistant General Manager of Shantinagar Branch SM Anisur Rahman, former Manager Mohammad Ali, Branch Manager of Gulshan Shipper Ahmed and Credit In-charge SM Zahid Hasan have been indicted in the cases.There are also chairmen, managing directors of about 18 companies in the list of accused. Earlier on September 10, the ACC took decision to file 54 cases against some 80 bankers and 54 business entities for embezzling Tk 4,000 crore from state-owned BASIC Bank. But surprisingly, the ACC kept aloof former chairman of BASIC Bank Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu from corruption charge amid huge criticism. ACC Chairman M Badiuzzamanm, however, admitted that the decisions taken by BASIC board under the chair of Bacchu between 2009 and 2014. “The primary inquiry beginning way back in October 2012 did not find Bacchu’s involvement in embezzlement of Tk 3,500 crore from the bank which now struggles to survive,” he said.Meanwhile, the officials and experts of banks and financial institutions division were surprised by the findings saying ACC relieved Bacchu after a long investigation spanning over a period of almost three years.There are widespread allegations that Bacchu, bypassing the board members, approved loan to fictitious borrowers which ultimately sent the once profit-making bank into massive losses through the last two years.Not only that, the parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Finance had asked the government to arrest Bacchu after its members were convinced about his involvement in the loan scams. But no action had been taken. In this backdrop, Finance Minister AMA Muhith had given statements in the national parliament that actions against Bacchu could not be taken for party men. Muhuth, however, did not disclose the identity of the party men who were backing Bacchu.Bangladesh Bank’s inquiry report and the internal inquiry of Basic bank particularly found Bachchu’s involvement in embezzlement.Bacchu was appointed in 2009 and the government extended his tenure in 2014 before asking him to step down in July 2014 after revelations of massive corruption in the bank.From a profit-making entity, BASIC suffered losses for the first time in 2013. At least one in four who borrowed from the bank in the last five years remains traceless as loans were reportedly extended to fictitious borrowers.Loans totalling Tk 4,236 crore were extended to 335 little-known clients and most of them became defaulters. BASIC Bank’s classified loans stood at over Tk 6,000 crore until September 30, 2014.
