ACC yet to act on BASIC Bank financial scam

Ismail Hossain | Published: August 09, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) has not made any visible progress in the probe into the loan scam in the state-owned BASIC Bank.
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) sent a letter to the ACC on July 15 in this connection. The letter also contains a detailed investigation report on Gulshan and Dilkusha branches of the BASIC Bank and an observation report.
No steps have yet been taken despite the central bank report against the BASIC Bank's former board members for their alleged involvement in the loan disbursement scam.
The BB letter also pointed out that the central bank earlier sent a special investigation report on Gulshan, Shantinagar and Dilkusha branches of the BASIC Bank to the ACC.
According to a senior official of the ACC, the anti-corruption watchdog initiated a new inquiry led by ACC Deputy Director Syed Md Iqbal Hossain over the BASIC Bank scam.
When asked, Iqbal Hossain told The FE on Tuesday that he did not receive any official letter from the commission and he was not inquiring anything about the bank.
Director General (Inquiry & Investigation) of the ACC Ziauddin Ahmed said he had no knowledge of any new progress about the BASIC Bank scam.
The ACC launched an informal probe into the allegations in 2009 and formal investigation in 2010. The officials said the commission formed a four-member team, led by its Deputy Director Mir Jaynul Abedin Shibli, in 2011 after it had traced 'widespread corruption' in the primary investigation.
The ACC has so far changed three officers on BASIC Bank inquiry. For this, none of them was able to prepare a probe report and the commission has nothing in hand to disclose publicly or take action.
Deputy Director Mir Jaynul Abedin Shibli told FE the authority transferred him from the BASIC Bank inquiry to the Bismillah Group scam probe, another big loan scam in the state-owned banking sector. Â
There were allegations that loans amounting to Tk 45 billion were disbursed from three branches of the BASIC Bank -- Dilkusha, Gulshan and Shantinagar -- through irregularities.
On May 25 last, Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu resigned from the post of the chairman following allegations of financial irregularities. Â
The central bank also fired BASIC Bank Managing Director Kazi Faqurul Islam on charges of negligence of duty and irregularities, apart from failure to protect the depositors' interests.
The ACC served notices to two suspended officials asking them to submit wealth statements, say ACC officials.
So far, the officials did not submit any statement to the ACC.
The ACC usually takes wealth statements from persons allegedly involved in a scam when it initiates an inquiry. It also seeks statements over allegations of accumulation of illegal wealth.
The commission in May served notices to two officials and their families for amassing wealth illegally.
They are former deputy managing director of the BASIC bank A Monaem Khan and former general manager Mohammad Ali.
The duo and four others were suspended in April this year for their alleged involvement in the scam.