HC orders arrest of 2 AB Bank officers for Noncompliance

The High Court has directed the police to arrest two officers of AB Bank Ltd within 24 hours for noncompliance with its directive for providing loan-related statements to a Khulna businessman.

The two officers are – Assistant Vice President (AVP) Aminul Islam of AB Bank Head office and the manager of the bank's Satkhira branch.

Besides, the court asked the officer-in-charge of Gulshan police station in Dhaka and Satkhira Sadar Police Station to produce the two before it on 5 June, Deputy Attorney General Wares Al Haruni told the media.

The bench of Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman and Justice A K M Zahirul Huq on Tuesday passed the order after hearing a writ petition.

Wares Al Haruni said, "Md Shafiur Rahman, owner of Shafi Enterprise, a construction firm who deals with a project of Satkhira Water Development Board, took a loan from Satkhira branch of AB Bank for the project expenditure.  He then repaid most of the instalments of the loan."  

The businessman recently sought a bank statement on the loan from the bank's Satkhira branch. But, the bank refused to provide it before repayment of all the instalments.  

"Shafiur Rahman then filed a writ petition to the High Court, seeking its directive to get a bank statement. On Monday, the court gave a verbal order to the bank to provide the statement and asked AVP Aminul Islam of AB Bank Head office to appear before it on Tuesday," the Deputy Attorney General said.

Then, the businessman went to the bank's Satkhira branch on Monday and sought the statement. But they again refused to give the statement.

Moreover, the AVP of the bank Aminul Islam did not appear before the court on Tuesday.

When the court came to know of the matters, it ordered police to arrest them in 24 hours.