Islami Bank will no longer be loyal to any group or family: BB Governor

Bangladesh Bank Governor Mostaqur Rahman yesterday said the Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC will no longer operate in the interests of any political party, group or family.

“Now, there will be no opportunity for this bank to work for any group, party or family. In this regard, the role of officials will be crucial,” he said during a meeting with the board members and top executives of Islami Bank.

The meeting was held on Monday with the bank’s chairman, four board members and ten top executives, a source present there, media reports.

Addressing the bank’s board, the governor said during the period of the Awami League government, the Islami Bank had been loyal to a particular party and group.

Recently, thousands of dismissed officials of Islami Bank staged a protest programme in front of the Bangladesh Bank demanding their reinstatement.

Most of them were reportedly recruited from a specific area in Chattogram. When asked whether the governor raised the issue during the meeting, the source said the matter was not discussed.

Meanwhile, a report sent by Bangladesh Bank to the Anti-Corruption Commission said the S Alam Group had taken loans amounting to Tk1.9 lakh crore from four of the eight banks under its direct or indirect control through share ownership.

According to sources from the central bank’s financial intelligence unit (BFIU), Tk93,364 crore was laundered through fraudulent loans taken in the names of shell and fake companies from those four banks. Of the amount, Tk1,05,483 crore was taken from Islami Bank alone.

The report also said S Alam Group chairman Saiful Alam Masud and his related entities used their influence to take loans from the four banks under their control, either in his own name or through intermediaries.