Tk 297cr embezzlement: Prof Abul Barkat placed on two-day remand

A Dhaka court today placed economist Prof Abul Barkat on a two-day remand in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission over allegations of embezzling Tk 297 crore through AnonTex Group.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hussain passed the order after ACC Assistant Director Mohammad Shahjahan Miraj, who was also the investigation officer in the case, produced him before the court with a prayer for a three-day remand.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib rejected his bail after his lawyer submitted an application in this regard.

In the application, the IO said Barkat is an FIR-named accused in the case and he was directly involved with the incident. So, he needs to be remanded to find out vital clues about the incident.

The defence, on the other hand, sought cancellation of the remand prayer on the grounds that their client was implicated in the case just to harass him. So, the remand prayer should be dismissed.

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Claiming himself innocent, Barkat told the court that he sanctioned the loan following the banking rules and regulations. Moreover, Bangladesh Bank approved the loan. So, he appealed to the court to cancel the remand prayer.

Upon hearing, the magistrate turned down the defence pleas and placed him on remand for questioning about the incident.

Earlier on July 11, Abul Barkat was sent to jail after being produced before another Dhaka court in the same case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch arrested him at his home in Dhanmondi Road no 3 on July 10.

Barkat, a former president of the Bangladesh Economic Association and a faculty member at Dhaka University, was appointed chairman of Janata Bank on September 9, 2009, for a three-year term.

He served two consecutive terms, completing five years in the position before stepping down in September 2014.