Amid the ongoing controversy and concerns surrounding Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC, the 'Conscious Consumer Forum' has made seven-point demands including the removal of the bank's chairman.
The organization said that if initiatives are not taken to implement the demands Saturday, a sit-in program will be held in front of the Islami Bank Tower on Sunday.
In addition, a memorandum will be submitted to the Bangladesh Bank Governor on Tuesday.
The forum's convener and spokesperson, Professor Nur Un-Nabi, announced these programs at a press conference organized at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital on Saturday.
At the press conference, he said that the current chairman of Islami Bank, Md Khurshid Alam, should be removed and an experienced, honest and professional person in the banking sector should be appointed as the chairman.
At the same time, he called for refraining from any controversial initiatives regarding the ownership and management of the bank.
Criticizing the home minister's statement regarding Islami Bank in the National Parliament, Nur Un-Nabi said that since the parliament is the highest legislature of the country, the public has confidence in the information presented there. Therefore, if there is any informational discrepancy in this regard, it needs to be clarified.
In a written statement, the Conscious Consumer Forum raised seven demands.
The demands include - removing the current chairman of Islami Bank and appointing a person skilled and professional in Islamic banking, investigating the process of changing the ownership of the bank and ensuring the rights of the real owners, forming a special tribunal to investigate allegations of irregularities and embezzlement in the banking sector, bringing back money laundered abroad, taking legal measures to prevent those involved in irregularities in the banking sector from regaining influence, and withdrawing the statement made by the Home Minister in the National Parliament on Islamic banks.
The organization demands that to maintain stability in Islami Bank and other Islamic banks, effective steps must be taken to refrain from controversial decisions and prevent misinformation.
The speakers at the press conference said that the recent controversy over Islamic banks has created anxiety among customers. As a result, many depositors are panicking and withdrawing money from the banks. According to them, effective initiatives are needed from the regulatory body and the government to resolve this situation quickly.