‘Beximco arrears to be cleared by next month’
Staff Reporter :
The interim government has decided to sell the pledged shares of two Beximco Ltd entities to clear the unpaid wages of workers in 16 factories of the conglomerate, said Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain on Tuesday.
The Bangladesh Security Exchange Commission (BSEC) and the Financial Institutions Division (FID) will take the initiative to sell off the pledged shares of Beximco Pharmaceuticals and Shinepukur Ceramics within the next month.
M Sakhawat Hossain disclosed the information at a press briefing yesterday after a meeting of the advisory council committee on Beximco Industrial Park in the conference room of the shipping ministry at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
The adviser said, “Some Tk 500-600 crore will be needed to clear the salaries and other dues of the employees. That money will be arranged by selling these shares.”
“An investigation will be conducted into how 16 factories in Beximco’s textile and apparel sector took loans of Tk 28,544 crore from different banks,” he added.
Sakhawat said this investigation will also be completed by February.
“Beximco Limited’s loan scandal has surpassed the scandal of the Bangladesh Bank reserves heist,” he remarked.
Disclosing Beximco’s unpaid loans, M Sakhawat said Beximco Limited has unpaid loans of Tk 1,424 crore taken from Sonali Bank, Tk 420 crore from Agrani Bank, Tk 987 crore from Rupali Bank, Tk 23,285 crore from Janata Bank, Tk 315 crore from National Bank, Tk 333 crore from UCB, Tk 938 crore from AB Bank, Tk 497 crore from Exim Bank, Tk 61 crore from Global Islami Bank, Tk 94 crore from Dutch Bangla Bank, and Tk 78 crore from IFIC Bank.
In addition, the conglomerate has unpaid loans of Tk 87 crore taken from BIFFL, a financial institution.
“If there are irregularities in these loans, those involved will be brought under the book. No one involved will be spared,” said the adviser.
Sakhawat also informed that the advisory council committee on the Beximco Industrial Park will not hold any more meetings on this matter.