ACC quizzes 6 AB bank directors

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday quizzed six more directors of AB Bank over alleged laundering of Tk 1.65 billion to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

ACC assistant director (Public Relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya said that ACC director Syed Iqbal Hossain and assistant director Gulshan Anwar started interrogating them around 9:30am, reports UNB.

Syed Iqbal Hossain and Gulshan Anwar are investigating the allegation.

Earlier, a notice to the chairman of the bank was issued on 1 January asking the six board of directors to appear before the anti-graft body on 7 January.

They are -- Shishir Ranjan Bose, Mejbahul Haque, Fahimul Haque, Syed Afzal Hasan Uddin, Runa Zakia and Md Anwar Jamil Siddiqui, said Pranab.

Five officials of the bank-Mohammad Mahfuz Ul Islam, head of corporate treasury, Mohammad Lokman, head of offshore banking unit, Arif Neaz, OBU at EPZ branch, Mahadeb Sarkar Sumon, company secretary, and MN Azim, who works in financial institutions and treasury section - were interrogated by the ACC on 2 January.

On 28 December last year, the bank’s former chairman M Wahidul Haque and former managing director M Fazlur Rahman were also interrogated over the allegation.

Wahidul Haque, along with AB Bank’s vice chairman and a director, resigned from the bank’s board of directors on 21 December 2017, amid allegations of laundering around Tk 1.65 billion to the UAE through two shady organisations in the name of investment.

Meanwhile, the ACC imposed a ban on the travel of 16 senior officials of the bank.