bdnews24.com :
The Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC has questioned former BASIC Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu over a Tk 35 billion loan fraud accusation.
Bachchu appeared at the ACC offices in Segunbagicha around 9:30am on Monday in answer to a summons. ACC officials began questioning him around 10:45am. The ACC began questioning people in connection with the loan fraud investigation on Oct 22. Bachchu says he believes he is not guilty of the loan fraud. He made the remark in response to a question from the media after the interrogation.
The former directors of BASIC Bank questioned so far are Md Anwarul Islam, Anis Ahmad, Quamrun Naher Ahmed, Prof Kazi Akhtar Hossain, Shakhawat Hossain, Fakhrul Islam, AKM Kamrul Islam, Jahangir Akhand Salim, Shyam Sunder Sikder and AKM Rezaur Rahman. The former BASIC Bank executives are being questioned after several rounds of Supreme Court observations regarding corruption at the bank.
The ACC opened an investigation into the state-run bank after allegations that Tk 35 billion in loans had been illegally distributed from the Gulshan, Dilkusha and Shantinagar branches between 2009 and 2011.
BASIC Bank is accused of giving loans without collateral and using false documents and fictitious names and organisations in violation of rules and regulations. After nearly four years of investigation, the ACC filed 56 cases at three police stations in Dhaka, accusing 156 individuals. Twenty-six are bank officials. The rest are connected to lending institutions and bank oversight organisations. But the absence of Bachchu and other prominent members of the board of directors on the list of suspects prompted controversy.
The ACC claimed they had not found any evidence of Bachchu’s involvement.
The parliamentary standing committee on the finance ministry was unhappy with the ACC findings and the central bank opened a separate investigation into the matter. In February 2016, Finance Minister AMA Muhith claimed the investigation into BASIC Bank had found evidence of Bachchu’s roles in frauds tied to loans, appointment and promotion. In August, the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division expressed its anger that Bachchu and the board of directors had not been named suspects in loan frauds and money laundering.
The court warned the ACC not to ‘pick and choose’. Facing criticism, an ACC director told the media that Bachchu would be called in for questioning, even though he was not on the list of suspects.
Bachchu, a former Jatiya Party MP, was appointed the chairman of the bank in 2009. His appointment was renewed in 2012. Bachchu resigned in 2014 amid pressure following the emerging allegations. The finance minister said Bachchu would not be let off the hook.
The Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC has questioned former BASIC Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu over a Tk 35 billion loan fraud accusation.
Bachchu appeared at the ACC offices in Segunbagicha around 9:30am on Monday in answer to a summons. ACC officials began questioning him around 10:45am. The ACC began questioning people in connection with the loan fraud investigation on Oct 22. Bachchu says he believes he is not guilty of the loan fraud. He made the remark in response to a question from the media after the interrogation.
The former directors of BASIC Bank questioned so far are Md Anwarul Islam, Anis Ahmad, Quamrun Naher Ahmed, Prof Kazi Akhtar Hossain, Shakhawat Hossain, Fakhrul Islam, AKM Kamrul Islam, Jahangir Akhand Salim, Shyam Sunder Sikder and AKM Rezaur Rahman. The former BASIC Bank executives are being questioned after several rounds of Supreme Court observations regarding corruption at the bank.
The ACC opened an investigation into the state-run bank after allegations that Tk 35 billion in loans had been illegally distributed from the Gulshan, Dilkusha and Shantinagar branches between 2009 and 2011.
BASIC Bank is accused of giving loans without collateral and using false documents and fictitious names and organisations in violation of rules and regulations. After nearly four years of investigation, the ACC filed 56 cases at three police stations in Dhaka, accusing 156 individuals. Twenty-six are bank officials. The rest are connected to lending institutions and bank oversight organisations. But the absence of Bachchu and other prominent members of the board of directors on the list of suspects prompted controversy.
The ACC claimed they had not found any evidence of Bachchu’s involvement.
The parliamentary standing committee on the finance ministry was unhappy with the ACC findings and the central bank opened a separate investigation into the matter. In February 2016, Finance Minister AMA Muhith claimed the investigation into BASIC Bank had found evidence of Bachchu’s roles in frauds tied to loans, appointment and promotion. In August, the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division expressed its anger that Bachchu and the board of directors had not been named suspects in loan frauds and money laundering.
The court warned the ACC not to ‘pick and choose’. Facing criticism, an ACC director told the media that Bachchu would be called in for questioning, even though he was not on the list of suspects.
Bachchu, a former Jatiya Party MP, was appointed the chairman of the bank in 2009. His appointment was renewed in 2012. Bachchu resigned in 2014 amid pressure following the emerging allegations. The finance minister said Bachchu would not be let off the hook.
