ACC files 18 cases over BASIC Bank loan scam

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday filed 18 separate cases with the city's Motijheel, Paltan and Gulshan police stations over BASIC Bank loan scam against 84 people, including the bank's former managing director (MD) Kazi Fakhrul Islam.
The anti-graft body has accused those people for embezzling Tk 6.5 billion in the 18 cases - nine with Gulshan police station, three with Motijheel police station, and six with Paltan police station.
Motijheel PS sources confirmed lodging of the cases. But ACC officials did not reach Gulshan PS and Paltan PS until submitting this report at around 8pm. They were heading towards two police stations to lodge the cases, said officials.  
On September 8, the ACC probe committee on BASIC Bank scam submitted its report, with the recommendation of filing 54 graft cases.
ACC officials said the remaining 36 cases will be filed today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday).
However, Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu, the bank's chairman during the graft period, was left out of the charges. There are graft allegations against him too. The state-owned specialised bank's former MD was named in 15 cases along with its top officials as well as chairmen and managing directors of the business firms connected with the loans.
Among others, the people sued by ACC on Monday include BASIC Bank deputy managing directors Fazlul Sobhan, Kanak Kumar Purkayastha and A Monayem Khan, general managers of credit committee Md Maniruzzaman and Shahjahan Mollah, DGM Khan Iqbal Hasan, AGM Md Ashrafuzzaman, Shantinagar branch manager Md Jalal Uddin, AGM S M Anisur Rahman Chowdhury, former manager Mohammad Ali, and Gulshan branch manager Shipar Ahmed and credit in-charge S M Zahid Hasan.
ACC recommended filing cases against the suspects for their role in lavishing out some Tk 45 billion in doubtful loans. It also recommended suing officials of the companies, which took loans from BASIC Bank by dishonest means.
According to the Bangladesh Bank report, total loan disbursed by BASIC Bank up to December 2008 stood at Tk 27 billion, which shot up to Tk 93.73 billion till March 2013. The bank disbursed loan worth Tk 66.73 billion in the period, and Tk 45 billion of the amount was approved allegedly through breach of the relevant rules.
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