Al-Arafah reaffirms depositor protection, transparent banking
Business Desk:
As part of reforms in the banking sector, Al-Arafah Islami Bank PLC is moving forward under the guidance of regulatory authorities. Recently, audits conducted by various regulatory bodies and audit firms have revealed certain irregularities in recruitment at Al-Arafah Islami Bank.
In response to these observations and recommendations from the auditors, the bank’s management undertook due review and initiated necessary measures.
As part of this initiative, 1,414 officers were brought under an evaluation test. To maintain neutrality, the test was conducted through the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of the University of Dhaka.
In this examination, 864 officers who passed were retained in service, while the remaining 547 officers who failed to obtain the minimum qualifying marks were terminated following due process. In addition, three officers resigned from service before participating in the examination.
The main objective of this activity was to improve the quality of the Bank’s human resources and to establish Al-Arafah Islami Bank on a strong foundation for the future.
However, these dismissed officers, whose appointments were not made through proper procedures, suddenly began a sit-in in front of Al-Arafah Islami Bank’s Head Office on the morning of July 28 under the name of a demonstration.
From that day, they blocked the entrance of Al-Arafah Tower at the Dainik Bangla intersection in the capital.
They placed microphones on rickshaws in front of the building and engaged in loud noise-making and aggressive behavior throughout the day. As a result, day after day, the banking activities of the bank’s head office and the corporate branch located in the same building were disrupted.
Customers of the Bank, local residents, and pedestrians suffered from these actions.
Although the Bank’s management took initiatives to resolve these harmful activities peacefully, the agitators did not relent. Even when law enforcement agencies repeatedly requested them to move away and stop the disorder, they continued their activities.
On Thursday, August 8, from morning until evening, they again blocked the entrance of the Head Office in the same manner. To keep customer services operational, executives and officers of the Bank’s Head Office were compelled to carry out official activities in the nearby Surma Tower building.