A High Court bench said Tuesday "most deadly offences" in Bangladesh are taking place in the banking sector, as the judges heard submissions in a defalcation case.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the observations during the hearing on bail petition filed by four officials of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited in the embezzlement case.
The court said, "The most deadly offences of the country have been taking place in the banking sector. There are many big offences in this sector. These are paralyzing the country. How will the country move forward if these continue!"
During the hearing, the court also observed: "The banking sector is in a very fragile situation. This is the most fragile sector now in the country. It needs reform. It is terrible the amount of looting, fraud and corruption happening in this sector. It needs to be stopped."
Later, the High Court asked the four officials to surrender in a special court of Chapainawabganj within four weeks.
"We would send you to jail. However, since the amount of money is less, we are giving you an opportunity to surrender," the court concluded.
Lawyer Fawjia Akhter, who appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said, "The four accused employees of the Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited Chapainawabganj branch embezzled Tk 0.25 million by opening an account in the name of a customer. Later, the customer filed a case against them."
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan, a counsel for the ACC, said during the hearing of a case the High Court observed that "the banking sector is in a very fragile situation".
"This is the most fragile sector now in the country. It needs reform. It is scary that the way fraud is happening, the way money is being embezzled. That's why the High Court expressed its concern about the matter," he said.
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