Investigation into the embezzlement allegation of about Tk 4500 crore from Basic Bank has virtually stopped now.
The Anti Corruption Commission changed investigation officers five times in last five years, but in vain.
The ACC is busy investigating corruption of some sacked officers staying away from the particular misappropriation case.
But, the Bangladesh Bank’s inspection report mentioned the liability of the former chairman of Basic Bank, Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu, for the embezzlement.
ACC chairman Badiuzzaman told Prothom Alo, “As a major investigation, it is taking time. Besides, Basic Bank and Bangladesh Bank had reached an understanding for the meantime. The central bank gave Basic Bank some directions in light of the understanding. And so, our investigation halted for a bit at the time, and now it is going.”
Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman said, “Despite allegation of involvement of high-ups in such corruptions, they are spared somehow. It was evident also in some other cases, including Sonali Bank’s one. In most of the cases, influential persons are handled softly or given protection, while officers-employees are punished.” If the prime suspects are not brought to book, such corruption may repeat, he warned.
The ACC formally began investigation into the corruption of Basic Bank in 2010. Its assistant director Mahbubul Alam was assigned with the probe into the loan scam. He collected some data and information about the allegation.
Then it was assigned to a 4-member committee headed by ACC deputy director Meer Joynul Abedin Shibley. But the assignment was further shifted on another deputy director, Syed Iqbal Hossain, after the Shibley committee took the charge of investigating the much-talked-about Hall-Mark loan scam.
The Basic Bank loan scam investigation responsibility went to ACC deputy director Abul Hossain on 12 March 2014, but he was removed on the next day, and replaced by deputy director Akhtar Hamid Bhuiyan.
But now, deputy director Iqbal Hossain is leading a team in the probe into the Basic Bank loan scam.
ACC has filed cases against the dismissed deputy managing director A Monayem Khan and general manager Mohammad Ali of the bank on 4 February this year after investigating the allegation against them of amassing illegal wealth.
Monayem Khan was sued for accumulating about Tk 75 lakh from unknown source of income and his wife Shahana Parvin was charged with gaining illegal wealth of about Tk 2 crore.
Another case was filed against Monayem under the Money Laundering Prevention Act on charge of smuggling out 3 lakh Malaysian ringgit (about Tk 75 lakh) to invest in the ‘second home project’ in that country.
Mohammad Ali was sued for making about Tk 2 crore and 60 lakh illegal wealth, and his wife Ismat Ara was charged with possessing Tk 96 lakh illegally.
Probe into the allegations of making illegal wealth is being conducted against some other sacked officers of the bank, ACC sources said.
Accordoing to the Bangladesh bank report, the total loan disbursed by Basic Bank up to December 2008 stood at Tk 2700 crore which shot up to Tk 9373 crore till March 2013.
The bank disbursed loan of Tk 6673 crore in the 6 years, of which Tk 4500 was given breaching concerned rules.
Source: Prothom-Alo
