BASIC bank scam: 147, including ex-chairman indicted
Staff Reporter :
Finally, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved the charge sheet against former chairman of Basic Bank Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu and 146 others in connection with 59 cases filed over embezzlement of Tk 2,265 crore through a loan scam.
After a long time criticism and discussion, the ACC on Monday has consent to continue the legal activities over the Basic Bank scam.
During a media briefing on Monday, ACC Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said the commission approved the charge sheet of all the cases of embezzlement and money-laundering from Basic Bank.
The ACC official informed that 101 customers and 46 bank officials have been accused in the 59 cases.
Five ACC officials investigated the cases and filed the probe report to the commission, he said, adding that the commission approved the charge sheet after scrutinising the report.
He said the charge sheet was submitted to the court this afternoon.
Earlier on 21 January 2021, the High Court expressed frustration over the non-submission of chargesheets in 56 cases filed in connection with the Basic Bank loan scam. The court directed the ACC to submit a full progress report of the cases within a month.
This wasn’t the first time the HC had come down hard over the delay in the matter.
In November of 2022, during the hearing of three bail petitions filed by Mohammad Ali, former general manager of BASIC Bank’s Shantinagar branch, in as many corruption cases filed by the graft watchdog, an HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat Lizu observed: “Crores of Taka has been embezzled. But no work is being done though the Anti-Corruption Commission and so many judges and lawyers are there. Why are they [ACC] silent? This is just like a drama. We are watching the drama. This is not acceptable.
According to a Bangladesh Bank, around Tk 4,500 crore was embezzled from BASIC Bank between 2009 and 2013 when Abdul Hye Bachchu was the chairman of the bank.
The investigation report of the Tk 4,500 crore embezzlement was sent to the ACC from the Bangladesh Bank in 2013.
After a long inquiry, on September 21, 22 and 23 in 2015, the ACC filed 56 cases against 120 people with Motijheel, Paltan and Gulshan police stations. Allegations of the embezzlement of Tk 2,037.85 crore were made in the cases.
Later, three other cases were filed between 2019 and 2020 against 156 people, including former chairman of Basic Bank Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu.
