Top SB officials involved in Tk 26.38b embezzlement
Thursday, 20 September 2012
FE Report
Top-level officials of Sonali Bank (SB) were involved in the loan embezzlement of Tk 26.38 billion by Hallmark Group, Assistant General Manager(AGM) of SB Shyamal Kanti Nath said Wednesday.
Mr Nath, also a key member of the SB's investigation team, said he had visited the Ruposhi Bangla branch of the state-owned commercial bank after its financial irregularities came to light in the local print media and found the proofs of wrongdoings at the branch.
"Then we recommended the foreign exchange unit of the bank to take necessary action regarding the issue," he told the waiting reporters on the premises of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) after being quizzed by the anti-graft watchdog.
"I don't think that the high-ups of the branch have made the serious mistake innocently," the AGM (trade and finance division) of the bank said, adding top officials of the bank were linked with the loan forgery.
About the quizzing, he said the investigation team had questioned him about his job description.
Like Mr Nath, four other officials of the bank were also grilled by the investigators of the anti-corruption watchdog throughout the day as part of its process of fair investigation to detect the exact reasons behind the illegal financial transaction.
A six-member ACC team, led by its Deputy Director Joynal Abedin Shibli, interrogated them.
The anti-graft body is also interrogating two Deputy General Managers--Morshed Alam Khondoker and Abdul Momen Patwari--and two other AGMs--Nesar Ahmed and Shamim Akhter--of the bank's head office.
Earlier on Tuesday, the ACC quizzed six Sonali Bank head office officials in connection with the loan scam.
A Bangladesh Bank investigation found that the Hotel Ruposhi Bangla branch of the Sonali Bank had lent Hallmark Group and five other companies more than Tk 35 billion on forged documents.
Of the amount, Hallmark alone took Tk 26.38 billion.
The ACC has so far grilled 50 Sonali Bank and Hallmark Group officials in connection with the scam.
Top-level officials of Sonali Bank (SB) were involved in the loan embezzlement of Tk 26.38 billion by Hallmark Group, Assistant General Manager(AGM) of SB Shyamal Kanti Nath said Wednesday.
Mr Nath, also a key member of the SB's investigation team, said he had visited the Ruposhi Bangla branch of the state-owned commercial bank after its financial irregularities came to light in the local print media and found the proofs of wrongdoings at the branch.
"Then we recommended the foreign exchange unit of the bank to take necessary action regarding the issue," he told the waiting reporters on the premises of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) after being quizzed by the anti-graft watchdog.
"I don't think that the high-ups of the branch have made the serious mistake innocently," the AGM (trade and finance division) of the bank said, adding top officials of the bank were linked with the loan forgery.
About the quizzing, he said the investigation team had questioned him about his job description.
Like Mr Nath, four other officials of the bank were also grilled by the investigators of the anti-corruption watchdog throughout the day as part of its process of fair investigation to detect the exact reasons behind the illegal financial transaction.
A six-member ACC team, led by its Deputy Director Joynal Abedin Shibli, interrogated them.
The anti-graft body is also interrogating two Deputy General Managers--Morshed Alam Khondoker and Abdul Momen Patwari--and two other AGMs--Nesar Ahmed and Shamim Akhter--of the bank's head office.
Earlier on Tuesday, the ACC quizzed six Sonali Bank head office officials in connection with the loan scam.
A Bangladesh Bank investigation found that the Hotel Ruposhi Bangla branch of the Sonali Bank had lent Hallmark Group and five other companies more than Tk 35 billion on forged documents.
Of the amount, Hallmark alone took Tk 26.38 billion.
The ACC has so far grilled 50 Sonali Bank and Hallmark Group officials in connection with the scam.