Top brass of three key state-owned financial institutions, including the country's largest public-sector bank/, have stepped down, citing personal reasons.
Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, chairman of Sonali Bank PLC, and Mohammad Jainul Bari, chairman of Sadharan Bima Corporation, tendered their resignation letters to Secretary of the Financial Institutions Division (FID) Nazma Mobarek on Monday.
FID officials confirmed their resignations, saying both the chairmen cited their personal grounds.
Muslim Chowdhury was appointed as director and chairman of Sonali Bank on 28 August, following the fall of the Awami League government in the student-led mass uprising on 5 August 2024.
A 1984 batch officer of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Audit and Accounts cadre), he previously served as Controller General of Accounts, Controller General of Defence Finance, and held key positions in the Finance Division, including deputy secretary, joint secretary and additional secretary.
Earlier, on 12 September 2024, former secretary and former chairman of the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority, Mohammad Jainul Bari, was appointed chairman of Sadharan Bima Corporation.
His tenure was scheduled to run until 11 September 2027. However, he resigned from the post before completion of his term.
Earlier on the day, Dr M Aslam Alam resigned as chairman of the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA).
In his resignation letter to the FID secretary, he also cited personal reasons.
Dr Alam was appointed as the IDRA chairman in September 2024 by the interim government. IDRA spokesperson Saifunnahar Sumi told the FE that the chairman had announced his intention to resign at an internal meeting nearly two weeks ago and formally submitted his resignation letter on Monday.
The developments come just a week after the removal of former central bank governor Dr Ahsan H Mansur shortly after the new government assumed office.
When contacted, FID Secretary Nazma Mobarek declined to comment on whether the resignations had been accepted or their successors would be appointed soon.
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