The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has resumed its probe into the non-funded part of the much-talked-about Sonali Bank's Hallmark loan scam.
"The commission at a recent meeting appointed its senior deputy director Mir Zainul Abedin Shebly as the team leader to launch a probe into the non-funded part of Sonali Bank's Hallmark loan scam," ACC public relations officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told the FE on Thursday.
The meeting did not appoint other members of the team. But officials said other members of the team would be appointed soon.
The Sonali Bank Limited has sent an investigation report on the non-funded part of the Hallmark scam involving Tk 11 billion to the Anti-Corruption Commission for taking legal action against the people involved in swindling the money.
A senior official of the special inquiry and investigation department of the commission said the bank's foreign exchange division sent the 6,000-page probe report on June 16 last.
Officials said the investigation found that Hallmark Group in connivance with a section of officials of 37 local and foreign banks embezzled around Tk 11 billion through back-to-back letters of credit (L/Cs).
Earlier in April 2014, the commission stopped the inquiry after a series of correspondence between Bangladesh Bank, Sonali Bank and the ACC.
According to the ACC findings, Hallmark Group swindled a total of Tk 35.47 billion out of Sonali Bank while it embezzled Tk 17.09 billion through L/Cs from the Sonali Bank Hotel Sheraton branch and from other banks through acceptance of Sonali Bank.
After the scam came to light, Sonali Bank decided to stop payment of the bills to other banks which had given money to Hallmark with Sonali's clearance.
On October 7, 2013, the commission submitted charge sheet in the Hallmark loan scam framing charges against 25 officials of Sonali Bank and Hallmark Group.
The commission launched the inquiry in early 2012.
The commission on October 4, 2012 filed 11 cases with the Ramna police station against seven officials of the Hallmark Group including its managing director Tanvir Mahamud and 20 Sonali Bank officials including former managing director Humayun Kabir on charge of swindling Tk 15.68 billion from the Sonali Bank branch.
Later, the ACC arrested Tanvir, Hallmark Group general manager Tusher Ahmed and its chairman Jesmin Islam, also wife of Tanvir.
Among them Tanvir and Tusher are now in jail while Jesmin is on bail.
The land and factories of the Hallmark Group were seized by the local administration while Sonali Bank filed several cases with Dhaka Artha Rin Adalat against Hallmark for recovering the money.
On the other hand, the commission has given clean chits to the then directors of the Sonali Bank board who were under ACC scanner after the Hallmark scam came to light.
The commission primarily excluded them from the Hallmark scam's investigation and later launched probes into their illegal wealth, the officials said.
The directors were - Kazi Baharul Islam (former chairman), Subhash Chandra Singha Roy, M Anwar Sahid, Abu Sayed Mohammed Nayeem, KM Zaman Romel, Satyendra Chandra Bhaktha, M Shahidullah Miah, Kasem Humayun, Saimum Sarwar Kamal, Jannat Ara Henry and Humayun Kabir.
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