ACC sues 16, including BNP's Morshed Khan in AB Bank graft case

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a graft case against 16 people, including BNP leader and former foreign affairs minister M Morshed Khan, for embezzling Tk383cr from AB Bank. ACC Public Relations Officer Pronob Kumar Bhattacharya confirmed that ACC Deputy Director Sheikh Abdus Salam filed the case with Banani police station on Wednesday, reported Bangla Tribune. The accused are- Pacific Telecom Bangladesh Limited (PTBL) Chairman M Morshed Khan, PTBL Vice-Chairman Asgar Karim, PTBL Director Nasrin Khan, Chief Executive Mehbub Chowdhury, and 12 others from AB Bank, including AB Bank's former managing directors and other officers who are currently employed. The First Investigation Report (FIR) mentioned that PTBL was given bank guarantee from AB bank without the required amount of deposit and breaching the existing policy for providing bank guarantee, in four board meetings of the bank, which PTBL then used to obtain bank loans from eight other banks and financial institutions. The FIR also mentions that PTBL had resorted to these measures by misuse of power, deceit and corruption, while AB Bank management system had failed to screen these issues.