Wrongful detention of Jahalam

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FE Report | Published: August 24, 2019 22:38:34

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Sonali Bank authorities have acknowledged responsibility for the misappropriation of funds amounting to Tk 185 million and for wrongful detention of Jahalam, who spent three years in jail on charges of embezzlement.
The state-owned bank has also taken departmental action against its eight officers for their negligence over the misappropriation of the funds.
The bank said this in a report submitted to the section concerned of the High Court division on Thursday, sources said.
The bank's lawyer will place the 416-page report before the HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader on August 28, the day of hearing on the case concerning the wrongful detention of Jahalam.
The eight responsible Sonali Bank officers are former managers of Mirpur Cantonment branch Azizul Hoque and Begum Akhlafun Nahar, former senior officer of the same branch Nizam Uddin, supporting sub-staff of the branch Md Moinul Hoque, supporting sub-staff of managing director's office Md Mizanur Rahman, supporting sub-staff of local office Azizul Hoque, former senior executive officer of local office Md Lutfar Rahman and executive officer of local office Md Mahtab Uddin, according to the report.
Earlier, the same HC bench ordered the ACC and the banks concerned to submit internal investigation reports regarding Jahalam's ordeal. The HC bench passed the order after hearing a suo moto rule issued earlier by the same court.
On July 11, the ACC acknowledged to the court that it was wrong on the part of its investigation officers to have identified Jahalam as Abu Salek, the real accused in 26 cases regarding the misappropriation of funds from the Sonali Bank.
In its internal investigation report on Jahalam's identity mix-up, the ACC probe body also alleged that the officers of BRAC Bank and other banks had also played a role in identifying the wrong person and derailing the ACC investigations.
On August 21, the ACC lawyer informed the court that the anti-corruption body had proceeded departmental action against the 11 officers who were found responsible for identity mix-up.
The court then ordered the ACC to submit the details of the officers on August 28.
Jahalam, who spent three years in jail instead of the real accused, was released from prison on February 04.
He had been arrested on February 6, 2016 after being mistaken for Abu Salek, who is the real accused in 26 cases that the ACC had filed in 2014 over loan fraud and embezzlement amounting to Tk 185 million from the Sonali Bank.
Last year, several media reports brought the matter of Jahalam's innocence to the ACC's attention, forcing further investigation into the matter.
Eventually, the ACC found Jahalam's claims of innocence to be true.