Staff Report :
The major opposition BNP has said the country’s banking sector lost over Tk 2 lakh crore depositors’ money over the past nine years and the ruling party men have plundered it from banks, non-banks and such other financial institutions using fake cover of business loans.
Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam said it at a press briefing yesterday held at chairperson’s political office in the city’s Gulshan referring to findings from media and other sources.
He came up heavily on the finance minister for ignoring the big grabbing of banks money passing it as nothing. It can’t be easily understood, he said.
He blamed the government for lacking good governance where party men are running banks, non-banks and other financial institutions enjoying impunity loan scandals.
He said party men and influential persons having access to the government have grabbed the money and the stealing continues unabated.
Mirza Fakhrul said the country’s banking sector has been ruined while the overall economy is facing setback from loots, plunder and mismanagement. Citing the remark
of a major think tank, he said the year 2017 was ‘a year of banking scandal’ while another major national daily has characterized the last 10 years of Awami League regime as ‘the decade of banking scandal.’
Fakhrul said, “the government has appointed party men at crucial posts in banks
and non-bank financial institutions; the banking sector is losing thousands of crore taka every year.” He further said, “they are granting loans to people in political consideration making the banks empty.”
He said the US intelligence agency – FBI is right when it said officials from within Bangladesh Bank were involved in the stealing of bank money. Referring the Islami Bank takeover by a business group, he said, “the government has handed over the bank to a special business group; the news that the bank is now facing serious liquidity crisis is shocking. He said many depositors are facing difficulty in getting money. The resignation of the government appointed chairman of the bank is also intriguing.
BNP secretary general said, besides the banking sector, big mega projects are also flooded with corruption. The share market has been laundered mercilessly. He criticized the government for virtual handing over of private banks to their sponsors allowing four members of a family to sit as directors for three tears at a time instead of two family members for two terms. As a result, banks have become private properties to avoid accountability and allow loan frauds.
