Bashundhara Chair, MD face legal notice over cheque fraud
Staff Reporter :
Thirteen former employees of Kaler Kantho have served a legal notice on the newspaper’s top management, including the Chairman and Managing Director of its parent company, East West Media Group, accusing them of cheque fraud and non-payment of dues.
The notice was sent to six individuals including East West Media Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Managing Director SayemSobhanAnvir, and the publisher of KalerKantho, issued on Sunday.
The ex-employees claim they were denied financial benefits owed to them following termination or resignation, despite repeated requests.
The complainants Md Shah Alam, Md Zahedul Alam, Kakoli Prodhan, Dewan Atikur Rahman, Farzana Rashid, Abu Saleh Md. Shafik, K M LatifulHaque, Asadur Rahman, Md. Roknuzzaman, Shamsun Nahar, Md. Latiful Bashar (Limon Bashar), Mahabur Rahman Mir, and Hanzala Han allege that about 50 journalists were laid off from KalerKantho in October 2023 without prior notice.
Others resigned at different times, but more than 50 staff members have allegedly yet to receive service benefits, including gratuity.
According to the notice, Bashundhara Group later made partial payments in 2024 through post-dated cheques, instructing recipients to deposit them each month. However, cheques deposited from January to August were dishonored by banks. Attempts to resolve the matter through meetings with KalerKantho’s editor, publisher, and senior officials reportedly failed.
The journalists also stated that appeals to the Chief Adviser’s Office and the Bangladesh Press Council brought no results. Some former employees then began preparing lawsuits in lower courts, after which Bashundhara authorities settled dues with around 20 individuals.
The rest were promised payments, but their cheques expired in the meantime. KalerKantho allegedly collected some of those expired cheques, assuring reissuance – a promise that remains unmet.
One complainant, Hanzala Han, confirmed that several journalists have already filed legal cases. Arrest warrants have reportedly been issued in at least two cases, including one against SayemSobhanAnvir in Kazi Md. Motahar Hossain vs. SayemSobhanAnvir, with a hearing set for February 12, 2025.
However, no progress has been made on enforcing the warrant.
The legal notice cautions that if no action is taken within seven days, the complainants will file a writ petition with the High Court to recover their dues.
When contacted, an East West Media Group official said they have not yet received any such legal notice. “We will respond once we receive it,” the official added.