ACC can arrest ex-BASIC Bank officials accused of scam at any time: Appellate Division

The Appellate Division has suspended the bail given by the High Court to four accused in 20 cases filed over the much-discussed Basic Bank loan scam.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) can arrest the four accused at any moment, according to the Appellate Division verdict.

The four BASIC Bank officials are – former assistant general managers of the Basic Bank's head office Sadia Akhtar Shaheen and Md Jalal Uddin, Gulshan Branch's assistant general manager Rumana Ahad, and Motijheel Local Office's assistant general manager ASM Anisur Rahman.

Out of the 20 cases filed over the loan scam, Sadia Akhtar is charged in 20 cases, Rumana Ahad in 13 cases, and Jalal Uddin and Anisur Rahman in 18 cases.

When the four accused applied for bail in the High Court on 2 August, the High Court bench comprising Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat ordered them to surrender to trial court within six weeks. At the same time, the court ordered that they should not be arrested and harassed.

Then the Anti-Corruption Commission appealed to the Appellate Division to suspend the High Court order. Hearing the petition yesterday, the Appellate Division Chamber Court Judge Justice M Enayetur Rahim, stayed the High Court's order.

Earlier, charge sheets of 59 cases related to the Basic Bank scam were prepared and submitted to the court. A trial court of Dhaka is scheduled to hold a hearing on 10 August on taking cognisance of the charge sheets.

Meanwhile, a report titled "Many of the accused in Basic Bank scam have escaped" was published in a national daily on 14 June

After that the four BASIC Bank officials filed separate applications by adding the published report to the High Court on 2 August, seeking anticipatory bail in 20 cases.

When the bail applications came up for hearing on 2 August, the Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer told the High Court that the charge sheets had been completed. The High Court asked the Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer to present the charge sheet in the cases on 3 August.

In continuation of this, charge sheets in the cases were presented to the court. When the four bank officials appeared in the High Court for the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea, it ordered them to surrender in the trial court within six weeks.

Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the Anti-Corruption Commission in the court and lawyer AM Masum appeared for the accused.