The Chamber Judge Court has directed the removal of the name of Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna from the list of loan defaulters maintained by the Credit Information Bureau (CIB).
As a result, lawyers said there is now no legal obstacle to his contesting the election from the Bogra-2 constituency.
The order was passed on Monday by the Chamber Judge Court of the Appellate Division, headed by Justice Md Rezaul Haque, following an appeal seeking a stay of a High Court order.
Senior lawyer Ahsanul Karim and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua represented Manna during the hearing.
On December 24, the High Court rejected Manna’s writ petition seeking a directive to remove his name from the list of loan defaulters. Following that order, state lawyers had said he would not be able to contest the upcoming national parliamentary election.
Senior lawyer Ahsanul Karim and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua appeared for Manna, while Deputy Attorney General Shafiqul Rahman represented the state.
After the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Shafiqul Rahman told journalists that Mahmudur Rahman Manna had filed a writ petition seeking removal of his name from Bangladesh Bank’s list of loan defaulters, which the High Court dismissed. As a result, he would not be eligible to participate in the election, he said at the time.
Manna’s lawyer, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, had earlier said they would appeal against the High Court’s order dismissing the writ.
Accordingly, after the writ seeking removal of his name from the Credit Information Bureau’s list of loan defaulters was rejected by the High Court, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna filed an application with the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division.
Earlier, on December 10, Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited’s Bogra branch issued a "call-back notice" seeking recovery of defaulted loans amounting to Over Tk38 crore from Afaku Cold Storage Limited, an institution led by Mahmudur Rahman Manna. The notice, sent to the addresses of Manna and his two partners, instructed them to clear the outstanding dues by December 18.
The notice warned that legal action would be taken if the dues were not cleared within the stipulated time. Signed by branch manager Touhid Reza, the notice was sent to the addresses of the company’s chairman, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya and managing director ABM Nazmul Kadir Shajahan Chowdhury.
Manna owns 50% of Afaku Cold Storage, while Managing Director ABM Nazmul Kadir Shajahan Chowdhury holds 25%, and his wife, Director Ismat Ara Laizu, owns the remaining 25%. In a notice issued on December 3, the company, located at Kichak Bazar in Shibganj, Bogra, was instructed to repay a total of Tk38,04,76,000 in defaulted investment.
According to the bank’s notice, an investment of Tk22 crore was approved for the company in 2010. However, the company failed to regularly pay profits, charges, and penalties, causing the outstanding amount to rise to its current level. Despite being a profitable institution, no progress was made in repayment, prompting the bank to issue the notice as a final warning.
The notice also stated that if the full outstanding amount is not paid by December 18, 2025, the bank would be compelled to take legal action.
