National Bank offers money to journos at press briefing

The National Bank held a press conference at its headquarters on Monday, to disclose its future plan following the formation of a new board of directors. 

Addressing the occasion, Khalilur Rahman, new chairman of the bank, expressed their determination to take the bank to a strong position within the next one year and sought positive write ups from the newspersons. 

He, however, refrained from receiving queries from the media and left the spot in a hurried manner after completing his speech, citing his tight schedule for a meeting with the Bangladesh Bank governor. 

Later, the bank officials offered snacks to the journalists in packets, including an envelope with Tk 5,000 inside. Some of the journalists felt uncomfortable with the cash and returned their packets to the officials before leaving the programme. 

A journalist, who was present at the press conference, vented anger over the cash offer, saying, “It is a matter of shame that a bank accused of looting clients’ money is now covertly offering cash-filled envelopes to journalists for publishing news.”

According to sources within the bank, the new chairman instructed the officials to provide Tk 10,000 to each of the reporters, but the officials could manage Tk 5,000 due to the liquidity crisis. 

Touhidul Alam Khan, managing director of the bank, could not be reached for comment.