The Anti-Corruption Commission has launched probes into corruption allegations against Bangladesh Bank鈥檚 25 former and serving officials, including former governor Abdur Rouf Talukder.
The officials are facing various allegations, including amassing illegal wealth, money laundering and embezzlement.
The anti-graft agency is also examining corruption allegations against 29 other BB former and serving officials, including ex-governor Atiur Rahman.
Regarding the 29 former and serving officials, the ACC is scrutinising safe deposit lockers belonging to 28 officials on suspicion of keeping undisclosed money and is examining Atiur鈥檚 alleged link to the $101-million Bangladesh Bank reserve heist in 2016, said ACC officials.
The ACC has initiated an inquiry into allegations of corruption, embezzlement of money from the banking sector and money laundering against Rouf and the commission has started another probe into allegations of irregularities at the central bank and hiding information about the defaulted loan of Tk聽7,853 crore of Social Islami Bank against Rouf.
The ACC is conducting an inquiry into allegation of embezzling Tk聽54 lakh by former deputy governor Khorshed Alam while he was posted at the regional office in Rangpur and it is also probing former deputy governor Kazi Saidur Rahman鈥檚 alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Tk聽700 crore.
BB deputy governor Nurun Nahar is facing an inquiry over allegations of corruption, abuse of power, recruitment business, money laundering and amassing illegal wealth against her. Another probe has also been initiated against Nurun Nahar and deputy governor Habibur Rahman over allegations of embezzling money.
The ACC is also conducting an inquiry into allegations of amassing illegal wealth and money laundering against former BB deputy governor Sitanshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury.
As part of the probe, an ACC team recovered savings certificates and insurance papers worth Tk聽4.45 crore and Tk聽16.25 lakh in cash from Sur鈥檚 residence in Dhaka.
The ACC also recovered 1 kilogram of gold, $1,69,300, 鈧�55,000 and a fixed deposit receipt of Tk聽70 lakh from a BB safe deposit locker belonging to Sur on January 26.
Amiruzzaman Mia, assistant director of the Bangladesh Bank Training Academy, is facing an ACC inquiry over allegations of amassing illegal wealth, including a luxurious house and three plots in Dhaka.
The ACC is also conducting inquiries into graft allegations against former Bangladesh Bank adviser Abu Farah Md Nasser, former Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit chief Masud Biswas, former executive director SM Moniruzzaman, former executive director Shah Alam, general manager Zakir Hossain, deputy general manager Imam Sayeed, joint directors Md Sarwar Hossain, Sunirban Barua, Jubair Hossain, Anik Talukder, Rubel Chowdhury and Lelin Azad Palash, additional directors Md Abdur Rouf, Md Wadud and Md Manjur Hossain Khan, former deputy director Mofazzal Hossain, former assistant director (cash) Anwar Hossain and former DGM Tarun Kanti Ghosh.
After the recovery of valuables from Sur鈥檚 safe deposit locker at the Bangladesh Bank, the ACC conducted another drive at the central bank recently, but it found that no safe deposit lockers are registered under the names of 25 other officials.
However, the ACC found safe deposit lockers in the names of 28 officials of the BB at the central bank and the commission will conduct a drive to scrutinise the lockers soon on suspicion of keeping undisclosed assets in the lockers by the officials, said an ACC director.
The 28 officials are executive directors Md Shahidul Islam, Ahmed Jamal, Ashish Kumar Dasgupta, Mohammad Masum Kamal Bhuiyan, Subhankar Saha and Ashish Kumar Dasgupta, directors Md Rajib Ali, Lutfe Ara Begum, Pradeep Ranjan Debnath, Wahida Nasrin, Moni Shankar Kundu, Ariat Hossain Khan and Mizanur Rahman Akand, general managers Md Sazzat Hossain Khan, Md Kausar Matin and Md Akkas Uddin, deputy general managers Mahmud Salauddin Naser, Md Enamul Karim Khan, Ishtekamal Hossain, Mustafa Azad Kamal, Dilip Kumar Dutta, AKM Kamruzzaman, Golam Mustafa and Shah Md Mainuddin, additional directors Nasima Khatun and Alauddin Al Azad, BFIU additional director Kazi Monir Uddin, and deputy manager Kalyani Saha.
On February 2, the ACC sent a letter to the Bangladesh Bank governor, requesting measures to prevent unauthorised access to these lockers. Since then, the central bank鈥檚 Motijheel headquarters has restricted locker access.
ACC director general Md Aktar Hossain said that the ACC had already filed separate cases against former BB deputy governor Sitanshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury and his family members and BFIU ex-chief Masud Biswas on graft charges.
The commission is also conducting inquiries into graft allegations against a number of former and serving officials of the central bank, he added.
