ACC charges 21 over Sonali Bank scam

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday submitted charge sheets in 10 cases against 21 people, including 11 officials of Sonali Bank, on charges of swindling out money from the state-owned bank.

ACC deputy director and investigation officer Mir Zainul Abedin Shibly submitted the chargesheets before the chief metropolitan magistrate court in the afternoon, ACC public relations officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told UNB.

The charge sheets were submitted against managing director of Paragon Knit Composite Limited Saiful Islam Raja and its director Abdullah Al Mamun, owner of Mondal Traders Mukul Hossain, DN Sports chairman Motahar Uddin Chowdhury, its MD Shafiqur Rahman John and director Fahmida Akhter Shikha and chairman of Khan Jahan Ali Sweater Tajul Islam, its managing director Abdul Jalil Sheikh, directors Rafiqul Islam and Mir Shawkat Ali.

Eleven senior officials of Sonali Bank — former managing director Humayun Kabir, deputy managing director Mainul Haque and deputy managing directors Sheikh Altaf Hossain and Safizuddin Ahmed, assistant general mangers Kamrul Hossain Khan and Azaz Ahmad, general managers Noni Gopal Nath and Mir Mohidur Rahman, and deputy general manager AKM Azizur Rahman, assistant general manger Saiful Hasan and executive officer Mohammad Abdul Matin — were named in the charge sheets.

On May 6, the ACC also approved charge sheets in 10 cases against 21 people, including 11 Sonali Bank officials, for reportedly swindling out nearly Tk 19 crore from the bank.

On 1 January 2013, the ACC filed 26 cases against 35 officials of Sonali Bank and five other companies, including former managing director of the bank Humayun Kabir and managing director of Hall-Mark Group Tanvir Mahmud for misappropriating more than Tk 350 crore (funded) from the Ruposhi Bangla branch of the bank.

ACC deputy director Mir Zainul Abedin Shibly and assistant directors Moshiur Rahman and M Nazmus Saadat conducted the investigation into the 10 cases.