HC order to probe money laundering by National Bank board members upheld

Staff Reporter :
Chamber Judge of the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to stay a High Court order that asked the authorities concerned to conduct an inquiry into the allegations of corruption and money laundering by the members of the board of directors of the National Bank Limited using international credit cards.
Justice Borhanuddin, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, passed the order after a hearing on a petition filed by the National Bank Limited seeking stay on the High Court order.
Following a writ petition the High Court on December 13 this year asked Bangladesh Financial Intelligent Unit (BFIU), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to conduct inquiries into the allegations.
The government bodies were asked to comply with the direction to submit a report in the court on January 15 in 2023.
Chamber Judge, however, sent the petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division for further hearing on January 2 next year.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan who appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the ACC said that there is no legal bar for BFIU, CID and ACC to conduct inquiry into the allegations of corruption and money laundering by the members of the board of directors of the National Bank Limited using international credit cards.
However, National Bank’s lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque said that his clients were not involved with any money laundering, and all their issues have already been settled by Bangladesh Bank as they have paid the money in question.
Chowdhury Hasan Muhammad Abdullah, a Supreme Court lawyer and also a shareholder of the National Bank, on December 11 this year filed the writ petition.