Partex Group Chairman MA Hashem and his two sons yesterday skipped the Anti-Corruption Commission’s interrogation over the misappropriation of Tk150 crore public money from state-owned Sonali Bank.
Hashem and Shawkat Aziz, the managing director of Partex Sugar Mills Limited, and Rubel Aziz, its director, did not appear before the inquiry team in line with the ACC notice. They sought time citing Hashem’s illness.
The group’s General Manager Muhammad Anisur Rahman went to the ACC headquarters with a lawyer who requested the commission to extend the time. They said Hashem was undergoing treatment in Singapore, an ACC official told the Dhaka Tribune. One of the sons was also abroad.
“The general manager said Hashem and his two sons will appear before the ACC after they return on September 11. As the commission needs their statements together, it may consider the time petition following the law,” the official, who is not authorised to speak to media, added.
The ACC is conducting an inquiry into the embezzlement from Bangabandhu Avenue branch of Sonali Bank through import of unrefined sugar by Partex Sugar Mills, a concern of Partex Group.
The commission has already questioned some high officials of Sonali Bank and has reviewed documents received from the bank.
According to the allegation, Sonali Bank’s former deputy general manager of Bangabandhu Avenue branch Mejbah Uddin (now DGM, international trade finance department), in connivance with some other people allegedly misappropriated Tk150 crore by importing unrefined sugar in 2011.
It is alleged that Partex Sugar Mills imported the sugar through opening a letters of credit (LC) in the bank, but did not deposit any money against the LC, even after importing and selling the sugar.