The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday filed a case against 23 people, including former Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman, former Janata Bank chairman Abul Barkat and AnonTex Group chairman Md Yunus Badal, on charges of embezzling Tk 297 crore.
The anti-graft agency also filed a case against former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed and his family members on charges of money laundering amounting to Tk 11.34 crore, while it also filed a case against former member of parliament Gulam Faruk Khandaker over illegal wealth.
The graft cases were filed with the ACC鈥檚 integrated district office in Dhaka-1, said ACC director general Md Aktar Hossain.
ACC deputy director Md Nazmul Hossain filed the case against 23 people, including Atiur, on charges of embezzling Tk 297 crore.
The other accused are former Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Abu Hena Mohammad Razi Hasan and its former assistant director Ismat Ara Begum,聽 former Janata Bank managing director Abdus Salam Azad, former directors Jamal Uddin Ahmed, Md Imdadul Haque, Nagibul Islam Dipu, RM Debnath, Md Abu Naser and Sangeeta Ahmed, director Nitai Chandra Nath, former deputy general manager Azmul Haque, former AGM Ajay Kumar Ghosh, former manager (industrial loan-1) of Janata Bhaban corporate branch Md Golam Azam, executive engineer (SME department) Md Shahjahan, SEO Md Emdadul Haque, former DGM Md Abdul Jabbar, former DMD Md Golam Faruk, and former deputy managing director Omar Faruk, M/S Suprabh Spinning Limited managing director Md Anwar Hossain, and director Md Abu Talha.
According to the case statement, Suprabh Spinning Ltd, Mohammad Anwar Hossain and Mohammad Abu Talha took Tk 297.38 crore in loan from Janata Bank through fraud and forgery, laundering the funds in collusion with the other 21 accused.
Despite no actual factory or structure existing on the mortgaged land, the duo overvalued the land and property at Tk聽6,098.97 million, and with the assistance of other accused, obtained a loan amount of Tk聽297.38 crore, which was subsequently embezzled.
Abdul Salam Azad, Azmul Hossain, Ajoy Kumar Ghosh, Gulam Azam, Shahjahan and Emdadul Haque in collusion with each other helped the accused Anwar Hossain and Abu Talha to forge records, bypass regulations and help facilitate the illegal loan approval process, said the case statement.
Accused Abdul Jabbar, Golam Faruk, and Omar Faruk, although stating that the proposed loan approval would violate BRPD Circular No 05/2005 and the MOU guidelines, presented a memorandum to the board for approval of the loan with the intention of obtaining Bangladesh Bank鈥檚 clearance, thereby helping Anwar and Talha to secure the loan, it said.
Yunus Badal has been charged with embezzling Tk 50.5 crore out of a sanctioned loan of Tk 180 crore in favour of Suprabh Spinning Ltd by receiving the money in the accounts under his Anontex Group.
Despite knowing about violation of rulers, the accused Abul Barkat, Jamal Uddin Ahmed, Emdadul Haque, Nagibul Islam, RM Debonath, Abu Naser, Sangita Ahmed and Nitai Chandra Nath aided and abetted in approving and distributing the loan.
Atiur Rahman, Ismat Ara Begum and Abu Hena Mohammad Raji Hassan assisted the loan applicant by abusing power and violating banking rules, despite the loan application being for a new and relatively unknown businessman.
The ACC on Thursday filed a case against former IGP Benazir Ahmed, his wife Jissan Mirza, his eldest daughter Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir and his second daughter Tahseen Raisa Binte Benazir on charges of laundering of Tk聽11.34 crore.
According to the case statement, the accused withdrew Tk聽11.35 crore in cash from banks through collusion and illicit means, but no evidence of any investment of these funds was found.
It is also alleged that after withdrawing the money, they left the country.
Benazir was the IGP from April 15, 2020, to September 30, 2022. Earlier, he had served as the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner and the Rapid Action Battalion director general.
The ACC earlier filed several cases against Benazir and his family members on charges of amassing illegal wealth.聽 Benazir left the country with his family on May 4, 2024.
The ACC also filed a case against former lawmaker from Pabna-5 constituency Golam Faruk Khandaker Prince on charges of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk聽9.91 crore.
The case statement also said that Gulam Faruk was also accused of suspicious transactions of Tk聽425 crore in his 39 bank accounts.