Basic Bank scam: ACC files 3 more cases

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed three more cases over the swindling of money from state-run Basic Bank Limited. The cases were lodged with Gulshan Police Station in Dhaka on Wednesday night. When contacted, officer-in-charge of the police station Sirajul Islam confirmed the filing of the cases, saying 12 other cases were filed with the police station on Tuesday in connection with Basic Bank scam. On Tuesday night, the ACC filed 24 cases against 69 people for allegedly swindling about Tk7.81 billion (781 crore) from Basic Bank. ACC inquiry officials filed 12 of the cases with Gulshan Police Station while eight with Paltan Police Station and four with Motijheel Police Station. Former managing director of Basic Bank Kazi Fakhrul Islam and deputy managing director Fazlus Sobhan were sued in most of the cases, releasing the key graft suspect, ex-chairman of the bank Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu.
Twenty-two 22 Basic Bank officials were sued in the cases while the remaining are officials of 24 private firms which took loans from Basic Bank showing fake documents. On Monday, the national anti-graft body also filed 18 cases in connection with swindling of around Tk 747 crore from state-run Basic Bank.
ACC deputy director Mahbubul Alam and deputy assistant directors AKM Fazle Hossain and Zainal Abedin filed the cases against 153 people, including former managing director Kazi Fakhrul Islam, for allegedly plundering the amount from Gulshan and Motijheel local branches of Basic Bank.
Although 153 people were sued in the cases, the number of actual accused would be less as many of them are common in the cases.
On September 9, the ACC approved proposals to file 54 cases against 80-85 individuals, including bank officials.
According to a Bangladesh Bank inquiry, about Tk 4,500 crore was swindled out from Basic Bank in the last six years when Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachhu was its chairman, according to UNB.
- biplab