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ACC files five cases against Crescent Group high-ups

Embezzling Janata Bank’s Tk 17.46b


FE Report | Monday, 11 February 2019


Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lodged five cases against Crescent Group high-ups and Janata Bank Ltd (JBL) officials on Sunday for their alleged involvement in misappropriating Tk 17.46 billion from the state-run bank.
The cases were filed against 22 individuals, including seven high officials of five concerns under Crescent Group as well as 15 current and former officials of JBL, said ACC deputy director (public relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee.
ACC headquarters assistant director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan filed the cases with Chawkbazar police station. Supervised by ACC director Syed Iqbal Hossain, the cases will be investigated by Mr Pradhan and ACC director Niamul Ahsan Gazi.
The accused Crescent Group officials are - Crescent Leather Products chairman M A Kader, its directors Sultana Begum and Rezia Begum, Rupali Composite Leatherwear director Samia Kader Nadi, Rimex Footwear Ltd chairman Md Abdul Aziz, its managing director Litun Jahan Meera, and Lexco Ltd director Md Harun-or-Rashid.
The accused bankers are - two former general managers (GMs) of JBL - Md Zakir Hossain (current deputy managing director or DMD at Sonali Bank Limited) and Fakhrul Alam (current DMD at Bangladesh Krishi Bank); four deputy general managers (DGMs) - Muhammad Iqbal, A K M Asaduzzaman, Kazi Rais Uddin Ahmed, and Rezaul Karim (current DMD at Sonali Bank).
The other accused are - two assistant general managers (AGMs) 0f JBL - Ataur Rahman Sarker and S M Shariful Islam, three senior principal officers (SPOs) - Magreb Ali, Khairul Amin and Baharul Alam, principal officer (export) Md Ruhul Amin, and three senior officers (SOs) - Abdullah Al Mamun, Md Moniruzzaman and Md Saiduzzaman.
The individuals, in collusion with each other, took a total of Tk 17,456,679,509 from Janata Bank - Tk 6,481,256,747 for Rimex Footwear Ltd, Tk 5,006,944,899 for Crescent Leather Products Ltd, Tk 4,541,087,384 for Rupali Composite Leather Ltd, Tk 743,895,359 for Lasco Ltd, and Tk 683,495,120 for Crescent Tanneries Ltd.
The five concerns of Crescent Group took the money for foreign documentary bill purchase (FDBP) and packing credit from Imamganj Branch of Janata Bank through creating fake documents, which was eventually embezzled by the companies.
On January 30, a team of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) has arrested chairman of Crescent Leather Products Ltd and Crescent Tanneries Ltd M A Kader over money-laundering charge.
The CIID team picked him up in connection with two cases, filed with Chawkbazar Police Station on the day.
The move came after CIID found that Crescent Group in collusion with officials of JBL Imamganj branch in Dhaka siphoned off Tk 12.98 billion abroad against fake export bills.
On January 31, Janata Bank also filed five cases with First Money Loan Court of Dhaka (Artharin Adalat) against five companies of Crescent Leather Products and Crescent Tanneries for illegally realising Tk 35.72 billion from Imamganj branch of the bank.

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