Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on Tuesday said that a lot of degradation has taken place in Janata Bank over the last five years mainly due to governance problem.
“Degradation has taken place in Janata Bank to a greater extent during the period and the bank’s Board of Directors, including its Chairman, will have to take the responsibility for this,” he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat office after a meeting of multi-purpose funds.
Muhith said when the Awami League came to power in 2009, it was the most efficient state-owned bank. But now all of the indicators of Janata Bank are showing downward trend, he said.
Reacting to a comment made by Janata Bank’s outgoing Chairman Abul Barakat, the Finance Minister said, “I have no wish to make any comment about his statement. I don’t even remember what he (Barakat) is referring to. I have kept him for five years, I think that is enough.”
Speaking at a programme on Monday, Abul Barakat said that the Finance Minister had sent a letter to Janata Bank with his recommendation,asking for ‘funds’, for a boat race in the Sunamganj haor area. When the money was not provided, the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme of four banks, including Janata Bank, was suspended due to supposed asset and provision deficiencies.
Barakat said that the Finance Minister had been wrong and foolish to suspend the CSR programme.
Denying the allegation, Muhith said, his office had no record of any such incident and he did not seek CSR fund from Janata Bank for a boat race at Sunamganj haor.
Regarding the chairman of Janata Bank, he said, “His tenure is over. It’ll not be renewed. This is why he might be upset.”
The Finance Minister further said, there are many ‘intellectual giants’ among Awami League supporters. We have to look after them, but that does not mean a person will remain chairman of the board forever.
Replying to why the CSR programme was suspended, he replied, “The term of the bank’s board was coming to an end and I noted a tendency for extra expenditure for CSR.” That is why all the CSR programmes were stopped, he said.
Asked whether there is any personal matter involved, the Finance Minister said, “No personal matter is involved here.”
When asked whether the activities of Janata Bank would be investigated, he said, “I don’t feel any necessity of investigating their activities.”
