The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is preparing to submit its probe report of Tk11.1bn embezzlement from five banks by the Bismillah Towels Group this month without interrogating two lawmakers’ sons allegedly involved in the scam.
ACC sources said during interrogation it was found that Jamil Hossain Durjoy and Mohammad Ali, sons of two lawmakers of the ruling party, were involved with Bismillah Group as non-paid directors and were allegedly involved in the scam.
However, the ACC officials declined disclosing the names of the lawmakers.
It was alleged that Jamil Hossain Durjoy and Mohammad Ali helped the Bismillah Group high-ups to commit the misdeed and helped them flee the country.
However, the commission has not interrogated the two lawmakers’ sons yet, an ACC official, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday.
He also said the probe team has already interrogated more than 60 people on charges of their involvement in the fraud, but avoided questioning Jamil and Ali.
“Quizzing the two could shed light on the embezzlement and help the commission to find out who were actually involved in the scam,” added the official.
Bismillah Group allegedly embezzled around Tk3.93bn from Janata Bank, Tk3.06bn from Prime Bank, Tk1.64bn from Jamuna Bank, Tk1.49bn from Shahjalal Islami Bank and Tk629.7m from Premier Bank.
An official from the inquiry committee said they have already reviewed documents of all five banks and completed quizzing of around 70 officials who were allegedly involved with the swindling.
However, rejecting the allegation, ACC Deputy Director Syed Iqbal Hossain said: “Our investigation goes on properly. We have interrogated many people in phases. No one will be spared if the allegations are proved against them.”
ACC sources added that Bismillah Group Managing Director Khaza Solaiman Anwar Chowdhury and some former high-ups of Prime Banks were involved in the embezzlement.
Prime Bank Managing Director Ahsan Khasru, BRAC Bank Managing Director Syed Mahbubur Rahman (former deputy managing director of Prime Bank),
Mercantile Bank Managing Director Ehsanul Haque (former deputy managing director of Prime Bank), and Bank Asia Managing Director M Mahmud Hossain were found involved in the swindling.
During the period of embezzlement, all these officials were working with the Prime Bank,” said a commission official, also a member of the probe body.
“We are likely to file cases against the accused under the Money Laundering Prevention Act as soon as the probe report comes,” added the official.
ACC preliminary inquiry found that Bismillah Group Managing Director Khaza Solaiman Anwar Chowdhury, his wife Nowrin Hasib, also chairman of the group, Solaiman’s father and group Director Shafiqul Anwar Chowdhury and his mother Sarwar Jahan are now in Dubai while Senior Manager Abul Hossain Chowdhury and another top official Riaz Uddin are currently in Malaysia and London.
A Bangladesh Bank inspection last year first spotted Bismillah Towels Ltd, Hindul Wali Textile Ltd, and Alpha Composite Towels Ltd, all concerns of the Bismillah Group, defrauding the banks of the sum from 2010 to 2012.
On February 26, ACC formed a five-member strong probe body headed by its Deputy Director Syed Iqbal Hossain.
