The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday approved pressing of charges against 25 officials of Hall-Mark Group and Sonali Bank for their alleged involvement with the Tk15.7bn-scam by the group and its five entities from the Ruposhi Bangla branch of the state-owned bank.
On Thursday, an ACC probe committee submitted its report on the scam to the commission’s Director General Ziauddin Ahmed. It was submitted to the commission on Sunday for consideration.
Commissioner M Shahbuddin told reporters that a regular meeting of the commission had approved the charge sheet against 25 people since the commission was satisfied with the probe report.
Those accused from the Hall-Mark Group include its Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud, his wife and Chairman Jasmine Islam, and General Manager Tushar Ahmed.
Accused from the Sonali Bank are former managing director Humayun Kabir, former manager of Ruposhi Bangla branch AKM Azizur Rahman, general managers Noni Gopal Nath (OSD) and Mir Mohidur Rahman (OSD), suspended assistant general manager of the head office Saiful Hasan, suspended executive officer Abdul Matin, Dhanmondi Branch Senior Executive Officer Mehrunnisa Meri, former deputy managing directors Mainul Haque and Atiqur Rahman (both now OSD), suspended deputy general managers Sheikh Altaf Hussain and M Safizuddin Ahmed, suspended assistant general managers Kamrul Hossain Khan and Ejaj Ahmed.
The other accused from Hall-Mark Group’s entities are Anwar Spinning Mills owner Jahangir Alam, Paragon Group Managing Director Saiful Islam Raja, Nakshi Knit Managing Director M Abdul Malek, Century International Ltd owner Ziaur Rahman, Apparel Enterprise owner Shahidul Islam, Star Spinning Mills owner M Jahangir Alam, T and Brothers Director Taslim Hasan and Max Spinning Mills owner Mir Zakaria.
The ACC also approved pressing of charges against M Jamal Uddin Sarker, chairman of Tetuljhara union of Hemayetpur, Savar for issuing trade licences to fake companies. Shahbuddin assured that the Hall-Mark Group probe report was “realistic.”
In response to journalists’ queries about the allegation that the commission had excluded some names, he said: “Many quarters are saying that we have spared some people and their names are not in the probe report, but this is not true. If people have any problem with the probe report, they are always welcome to submit their allegations with proofs.”
He added: “Since the Sonali Bank Board of Directors was not responsible for the embezzlement, their names were not included with the probe report as accused.”
Regarding Prime Minister’s Health Adviser Syed Modasser Ali’s involvement, Shahbuddin said the commission team had interrogated him but found no connection between him and the scam.
“He may have had social relationship with the Hall-Mark Group officials, but it does not mean he was involved in the embezzlement,” he said.
Following a letter from Bangladesh Bank on July 15 last year, the anti-graft agency formed a six-member probe committee to conduct an inquiry into the allegations against the little known firm.
According to an investigation report the central bank released in May last year, Hall-Mark and the five other companies, with the connivance of a number of Sonali Bank officials, had taken out loans for Tk35.5bn from the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch of Sonali Bank using forged documents.
