Ctg banker get 54 years in jail for embezzling customer's money
A Chattogram court yesterday sentenced Md Iftekharul Kabir, a former priority manager of Eastern Bank Limited's Chandgaon branch in the port city, to 54 years in prison for embezzling a customer's money.
In the same verdict, the Chattogram Divisional Special Judge Munshi Abdul Majeed sentenced four others to different terms of imprisonment and slapped fines on them, Kazi Sanowar Ahmed Lavlu, a public prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Commission, told The Business Standard.
The other convicts in the case are Zakir Hossain Bappi, Mahmudul Hasan, Azam Chowdhury, and Abdul Mabud. Among them, Zakir was sentenced to 11 years in prison, and fined Tk75 lakh. Azam Chowdhury, Abdul Mabud, and Mahmudul Hasan were sentenced to six and a half years of imprisonment each. Azam Chowdhury was fined Tk22.5 lakh, Abdul Mabud Tk18.50 lakh, and Mahmudul Hasan Tk20.5 lakh.
Zakir owns Labiba Trading in Halishahar, and Abdul Mabud owns Julekha Trade International in Madarbari area of Chattogram. Azam Chowdhury and Mahmudul Hasan are businessmen from Khulshi area of the city.
According to the case documents, when one Salahuddin went to the Eastern Bank Limited's Chandgaon branch to open an FDR account in 2015, Iftekharul Kabir tricked him into signing some blank checks. After that, Iftekharul withdrew money from Salahuddin's account at different times through six checks, created a fake debt of Tk72 lakh, and embezzled over Tk2.51 crore by transferring money to the other four accused's accounts.
Later, Salahuddin filed a written complaint saying money was withdrawn from his account without his approval. After the preliminary investigation, Iftekharul Kabir confessed to embezzlement in writing to the investigation committee.
Later, the Anti-Corruption Commission accepted the bank authorities' complaint to the police over the incident in its schedule for investigation. Following an investigation, Anti-Corruption Commission's Chattogram Integrated District Office-1 Deputy Director Fakhrul Islam filed a case against five people on 14 October 2019 over the embezzlement.
The charge sheet in the case was filed against the five accused in the court on 22 September 2021. The court ordered to start the trial by framing charges against the accused on 6 February 2023.
Eastern Bank Limited authorities dismissed convict Iftekharul Kabir in 2019 after he was accused of embezzling the customer's money.