Bankers’ server down drama to steal foreign currency in HSIA
Staff Reporter :
When the government faces huge crises of foreign currencies, including US Dollars, a section of dishonest bank employees at Hazarat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka is involved in stealing foreign currencies by arranging a drama of ‘server down’, sources said.
According to the investigations of the Anti-Corruption Commission, several bank employees working in the HSIA in Dhaka use a technique of not giving vouchers in cases of exchanging money.
Sources said that these bank employees exchange foreign currencies from returnee expatriates or foreign travelers.
In such cases, it is a must to give vouchers to these money changers. However, these dishonest bank employees frequently claim that the internet server is down, so they cannot provide any voucher.
Using this technique, these employees buy foreign currencies at lower rates than the market and sell them at high rates in collaboration with certain money exchange firms to manipulate the market.
ACC officials and other stakeholders stated that it is not an ordinary case for the internet server to remain down frequently in such an important place like HSIA.
Evia Money Exchange and Imperial Money Exchange, among others, were involved in such corruptions, ACC sources said.
The ACC filed a case on Wednesday against 21 officials and employees of four banks and two money exchange houses at HSIA on charges of illegal buying and selling of foreign currency and money laundering.
The commission’s deputy director, Syed Nazrul Islam, filed the case with its integrated district office in Dhaka-1, accusing 21 people, said ACC secretary Khorsheda Yasmeen.
As per the ACC case document, the accused are Janata Bank’s senior principal officer Anwar Parvaj, principal officers Shamim Ahmed and Md Ashiquzzman, senior officers Suruj Jamal, Amit Chandra Dey, Md Manik Mia, Sadiq Iqbal, Sujan Ali, and Humayun Kabir, Sonali Bank senior officers Shoriful Islam Bhuyain, Shorab Uddin Khan, Sabuj Mir, Khan Ashiqur Rahman, ABM Sajjad Haider, Kamrul Islam, Samiul Islam Khan, and its support staff Md Mosharaf Hossain, Mutual Trust Bank Limited officer Abu Tarek Prodhan, Agrani Bank senior officer Abdur Razzak, Avia Money Changer customer service manager Md Asadul Hossain, and Imperial Money Exchange managing director KM Kabir Ahmed.
According to the ACC, preliminary evidence found that the accused were involved in the illegal buying and selling of foreign currency.
The accused illegally collected foreign currency from expatriates who came from abroad and supplied currency to corrupt people who launder money.
ACC officials said that legal action will be taken against more officials according to the findings of the inquiry and investigation by the commission.
