BANGLADESH NEWS
Rapid Action Battalion Sunday night arrested former manager of Ruposhi Bangla Branch of Sonali Bank in connection with Hall-Mark loan scam.
Lt Col MM Anisur Rahman, commanding officer of Rab-3, told The Daily Star that they picked up AKM Azizur Rahman around 9:00pm from a road at Rampura in the capital.
He said they made the arrest at the request of the Anti-Corruption Commission against graft cases filed in connection with the loan scam.
The Rab official said they will hold a press briefing on the arrest and later hand over the Sonali Bank official to the Ramna Police Station.
On October 4, the ACC filed 11 cases with Ramna Police Station against 27 officials of Hall-Mark and state-owned Sonali Bank for misappropriating Tk 1,568 crore.
The cases were filed under the Money Laundering Prevention Act and the Corruption Prevention Act.
Of the accused, seven are Hall-Mark officials while the rest are Sonali Bank officials, including its former managing director Humayun Kabir.
According to an audit report, the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch of Sonali Bank had disbursed Tk 3,606 crore in loan to Hall-Mark Group and five other companies defying banking rules.
The Bangladesh Bank also revealed massive irregularities in the sanctioning and disbursing of loans, especially to the little-known Hall-Mark Group.
Meanwhile, Tanvir Mahmud, managing director of Hall-Mark Group, and another top official of the controversial firm were placed on a 24-day remand in three cases in connection with the Sonali Bank loan scam.
Tanvir, meanwhile, in an arms case was also placed on a five-day police remand.
Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Erfan Ullah of Dhaka granted the remand for eight days in each of the three cases after the Anti-Corruption Commission sought a 110-day remand for each of them in a total of 11 cases.
The remand prayers in eight other cases were waiting for hearing at the court.
The other Hall-Mark official is Tusher Ahmed, general manager (commercial) and also husband of Tanvir's sister-in-law.
Hours after the arrest of Tanvir and Tusher, six ACC officials submitted 11 separate prayers with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka in the afternoon seeking 110 days' remand for the duo.
Rapid Action Battalion arrested Tanvir and Tusher on the night of October 7 in Pallabi of the capital along with a pistol, four bullets and a magazine.
The elite force on Monday filed a case against Tanvir with Pallabi Police Station for illegally possessing the gun and bullets.
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