Tk236cr siphoned off to UAE, Singapore via offshore banking
ACC says loans were embezzled from AB Bank in the names of these non-existent institutions
AB Bank officials have allegedly shiphoned off Tk236 crore to the UAE and Singapore under the guise of offshore banking.
The amount was embezzled in the name of loans for three non-existent institutions – ATZ Communications PTE Limited and Eurocars Holdings PTE Limited.
According to an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), loans for these institutions were approved prior to the bank accounts being opened.
The entire operation was endorsed by senior officials of the bank, and the plan was specifically designed for the purpose of embezzling money, it added.
According to the ACC, between 2014 and 2016, bank officials and other relevant individuals embezzled Tk236.08 crore from the bank under the guise of offshore banking.
The money was then siphoned off to Dubai and Singapore in dollars.
ACC Deputy Director, Jahangir Alam; Assistant Directors, Nargis Sultana and Jasmine Akhter, filed three cases in this regard on Thursday.
23 individuals have been named in the money laundering case Tk160.80 crore; 23 in the embezzlement case for Tk60.40 crore; and 21 in another money laundering case for Tk14.88 crore.
Former AB Bank Chairman, Wahidul Haque; former Managing Director, Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury, nine members of the Board of Directors, and some members of the Credit Committee have been accused in the cases.
26 individuals have been accused in all; some have been named in multiple cases.
Former Chairman M Wahidul Haque; former Directors, Md MA Awal; Fahim ul Haq; Afzal Hasan Uddin; Shishir Ranjan Bose; BB Saha Roy; Md Mezbaul Haque; and Director, Firoz Ahmed, have been accused in all three cases.
Former Head of Offshore Banking Operation (OBO), Md Lokman Hossain; former Probationary Officer (PO), Md Arif Newaz; former Senior Executive Vice-President (SEVP) and Head of Business, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal; former SEVP and head of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Member, Credit Committee, Salma Akter have also been accused in three cases.
Former Deputy Managing Director (DMD) and Head of Credit Committee, Mashiur Rahman Chowdhury; DMD and Head of Operations, Sajjad Hossain; Former EVP and Head of Internal Control & Compliance Division (ICCD) Md Shahjahan; EVP and Head of ICCD, Md Aminur Rahman; former EVP of Business Division, Kazim Nasim Ahmed; and former EVP, Financial Institutions (FI), Sarfuddin Ahmed, have also been accused in all three cases.
Former Director, Dr Md Imtiaz Hossain, has been charged in two cases, while former Director, Zakia SR Khan has been named in one case.
Former Managing Director and President of the Credit Committee, Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury, has been accused in a case.
Former Senior Assistant Vice-President (SAVP), Md Shahjahan, former AVP, Md Salah Uddin; AVP (Business Division), Kazi Ashikur Rahman, are also named in two cases. Former AVP, Panet Chakraborty has been named in a case.
Son of Sultan Ahmed of Lohagara in Chattogram, and Kasinda ANM Tayebur Rashid of Park Road, Baridhara in Dhaka have been accused in a case.