BB officers for resignation of two ‘AL-linked’ DGs

A group of Bangladesh Bank (BB) officers called for all-party consensus demanding the resignation of its two deputy governors (DGs), appointed during the former authoritarian Awami League (AL) regime.
They warned the central bank authorities of launching a tougher movement if the two deputy governors - Nurun Hahar and Dr Habibur Rahman do not resign soon or not forced into resignation.
Moreover, they also requested the BB governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur to take immediate measures to remove the 'controversial members' of the recently reconstructed boards of some commercial banks.
A team of 40 BB officers placed the demand to the BB governor on Sunday and sought his immediate intervention before things worsen further.
After submitting demand, the aggrieved BB officers held a rally in front of 30-storey building of the central bank where they criticised the alleged roles of a section of central bankers who gave benefits to a vested quarter bypassing rules of the regulatory body during the former regime, which reportedly led to the prevailing poor state of the banking industry.
BB additional director Nazrul Islam, who first protested working with the officers who were allegedly biased towards of the Awami League government, said they demanded immediate resignation of two DGs who got contractual appointments during the regime.
"I am the first people in the BB who protested on August 01 last and then BB high-ups were taking measures to suspend me. But the mass-uprising that toppled the Awami League government on August 05 saved me," he said.
BB director (statistics) Anisur Rahman said the central bank as part of its revitalisation plan has already dissolved boards of several banks before their reconstitutions with appointing directors by the regulator. But the board members failed to bring necessary change in the banks, leading to the woes of the depositors, according to him.
There are also allegations that some of the appointed board members are controversial for their roles in favouring to the controversial business conglomerates, he said.
"So, alongwith the two DGs, they reconstituted banks' boards need to be revisited with removing all the controversial elements as part of the banking sector reforms," he added.
Soon after the fall of Awami League government, two DGs Kazi Sayedur Rahman and Md. Khurshid Alam resigned amid unrest created by a group of aggrieved officials of the central bank. But two others Nurun Hahar and Dr Habibur Rahman remained at their post.

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