BASIC Bank: Two held over embezzlement of Tk 75.66cr

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday arrested two people in a case filed over misappropriation of about Tk 75.66 crore from the state-run BASIC Bank.

The ACC arrested former officer of BASIC Bank Mohammad Hemayet Uddin Talukdar, 45, and Managing Director of Techno Design and Development Kamal Hossain Selim, 46 from capital's Segunbagicha area.

According to the case statement, a tripartite contract was signed between Techno Design and Development Ltd, Advanced Development Technologies Ltd and BASIC Bank on September 17, 2012.

As per the contract, Advanced Development would mortgage its 240 flats to BASIC Bank for a loan worth Tk 80 crore. Advanced development would then transfer the money to Techno.

The loan was sanctioned at BASIC Bank's 314th meeting of board of directors on August 29, 2012.

Breaching the terms of the contract, the money was not given to Advanced Development. Kamal, in collusion with bank officials, withdrew about Tk 75.66 crore out of the sanctioned Tk 80 crore between and March 10, 2013 and June 17, 2013.

Following the incident, senior manager of Advanced Development Technologies Moshihur Rahman Sarkar filed a case with Metropolitan Session Judges Court accusing eight persons that include former deputy general manager and branch in-charge of BASIC Bank's Gulshan Branch Sipar Ahmed, former general manager Mohammad Joynul Abedin Chowhdury, former deputy general manager Khan Iqbal Hasan, former officer Abdul Muzid, Chairperson of Techno Shahida Aktar Simu.

The case was later transferred to the ACC for investigation.

The ACC found the involvement of two more officials of BASIC Bank –  it's Gulshan branch Manager Masudul Alam and Officer Nishat Nasrin.

Producing Hemayet and Kamal before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, the ACC yesterday pled to send them to jail.

Metropolitan Magistrate Shahidul Islam granted their plea.

In the four years between 2009 and 2013, Tk 4,500 crore was swindled out of BASIC, once a healthy public bank.

In 2015, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed 56 cases in connection with the scam, but ironically neither BASIC Bank's then chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu nor any of the board members were named as the accused.

The ACC quizzed Bacchu several times between 2017 and 2018 in connection with the loan scam.