The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two separate cases against 43 people, mainly businessmen, including the owners and managing directors of the S Alam Group and Nabil Group, as well as a former chairman of Islami Bank and seven former government officials.
The seven former government officials include Md Towhidul Anwar Chowdhury, former Director General of Bangladesh Railway (BR), who allegedly caused a loss of Tk 5.98 billion to the state coffer through the ineffective and unsuitable DEMU train purchase project.
In one case, S Alam Group owner Saiful Alam, Nabil Group owner and its MD Aminul Islam and the former chairman of Islami Bank Bangladesh are accused of embezzling Tk 3.63 billion from the bank's Gulshan branch.
The case was lodged on Wednesday at the ACC's Integrated District Office, Dhaka-1, confirmed ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain.
According to the case statement, the accused had approved and recommended loans in the name of a little-known company, Naba Agro Trade International. By abusing their power and colluding with each other, they had prepared fake records and committed fraud.
With direct help from Islami Bank officials, the newly-formed company was granted Tk 6.70 billion in loan, out of which Tk 3.63 billion was allegedly embezzled.
The accused include Saiful Alam (S Alam Group), Aminul Islam (Nabil Group), Shahidul Alam (Sonali Traders), Ariful Islam Chowdhury, Hasanuzzaman (Century Flour Mills), Mamunur Rashid (MD, Naba Agro Trade), and Harunur Rashid (Chairman, Naba Agro Trade).
Islami Bank officials include former chairman Prof. Md Najmul Hasan, former executive committee chairman Prof. Dr. Md Selim Uddin, former board directors, deputy managing directors, executive vice presidents, and branch managers of Gulshan and Dolaikhal branches.
The case against the seven government officials was filed on Monday at the ACC's Dhaka Integrated District Office by its Assistant Director Raju Ahmed, a senior ACC official confirmed.
The accused are Md Tohidul Anwar Chowdhury, former DG of Bangladesh Railway; Md Iftikhar Hossain, former Project Director and Chief Mechanical Engineer (Development); Md Aktaruzzaman Haider, former Chief Mechanical Engineer (East); Benjamin Hemkrom, former Deputy Secretary, Planning Division; Anjan Kumar Biswas, former Deputy Chief, Ministry of Railways; Ashrafuzzaman, former Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Railways, and Md Mumitur Rahman, former Deputy Director, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division.
Charges have been brought against them under sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 109 of the Penal Code, section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
According to the case statement, the accused colluded in fraud and forgery while performing their official duties.
They had approved the DEMU train purchase project without any proper feasibility or viability study.
As a result, ineffective and loss-making trains, unsuitable for Bangladesh's railway infrastructure and technology, had been procured.
This led to the misuse of state funds for their own financial gain and to benefit others, causing a loss of Tk 5.98 billion to the state coffer, according to the ACC investigation.
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