Sur, Shah Alam among 8 banned from traveling abroad

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has banned eight people, including former deputy governor of the Bangladesh Bank SK Sur Chowdhury and its Executive Director Shah Alam, from traveling abroad for their alleged cooperation to PK Halder, a scamster in the country's financial sector. 

The list includes SK Sur's wife Suparna Sur Chowdhury, Shah Alam's two wives Shaheen Akter Shelley and Nasreen Begum and International Leasing AVP Al Mamun Sohag, Manager (Treasury) Abhik Sinha of the same institution and Atasi Mridha, chairman of Colesin Limited.

The graft watchdog sent a letter to the immigration authorities on Thursday after receiving permission from the court.

According to ACC sources, Dhaka Special Judge's Court on Wednesday granted a petition, moved by ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, seeking the ban on foreign travel of the accused.

The names of SK Sur and Shah Alam came up in the statement given to the court under section 164 by several associates of PK Halder who were arrested by the ACC. 

According to the ACC, Shah Alam used to receive a payment every month from PK Halder and SK Sur was the source of PK's power.

Recently, the High Court asked the ACC why the two were not being arrested.

Earlier, the ACC itself used to send a letter to the special branch of the police banning the accused from traveling abroad. But the matter of PK Halder's escape was heard in the court several times.

On March 16, the High Court ruled that the special judge's court would decide whether the ACC should ban the accused or suspects in a corruption case from going abroad. The court said the ACC did not have specific rules or regulations to ban anyone from travelling abroad.

For this reason, as long as no law or regulation is being enacted regarding the ban on going abroad, permission must be sought from the special judge court concerned.

Later, the chamber court upheld the order of the High Court on Sunday in response to the ACC's application. 

A full bench of the Appellate Division is scheduled to hear the matter on 5 April.