Sonali Bank officer in Bagerhat flees after internal audit uncovers fraud

A senior officer of Sonali Bank’s Bagerhat district branch went into hiding after an incident of financial misappropriation was found in the branch by an internal audit carried out by the branch committee. Sources at the branch said a three-member audit team of the branch started its internal-audit operation on August 26 and they came to know of the incident of a huge amount of money having been embezzled from the branch on September 3. When the team wanted documents from the branch senior officer Sheikh Mahfuzur Rahman Babu, who was given task for distributing loan, he went into hiding saying that his relative died, the sources said. He has remained absconding since then.
Meanwhile, manager of the branch Debrato Bishwas was closed from the branch for the sake of proper investigation while Khan Bablur Raman was appointed in the branch as new manager by an order of the bank high authorities, said assistant general manager of Bagerhat regional office Ashutos Mandal.
A five-member special audit team reached the Bagerhat branch from Sonali Bank head office on Tuesday and started their operation on the bank loan scam during the three year-tenure of the senior officer, Sheikh Mahfuzur Rahman Babu. Besides, a three-member probe committee, headed by Sonali Bank’s Khulna regional branch assistant general manager M Shahjahan Ali, was carrying out their investigation in this regard, according to a news agency.
- biplab