Graft Case: Six former bank officials sent to jail

Six former officials of Bangladesh Krishi Bank Limited were sent to jail yesterday in connection with a graft case.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Senior Special Judge's Court of Dhaka passed the order after cancelling their bail petitions.

The accused are Jubayer Manjur, former chief regional manager (Dhaka) of Bangladesh Krishi Bank Ltd; ABM Ataur Rahman, former deputy manager and branch manager of the bank's corporate branch in Banani; AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former deputy manager of the corporate branch; Monwara Begum, former assistant general manager of corporate branch, Md Sanaullah, former senior chief officer of the corporate branch, and Engineer Shahidul Islam, former senior chief officer (divisional office) of Bangladesh Krishi Bank Ltd.

Julfikar Ali, deputy director of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed the case with Banani Police Station on August 18 last year, accusing the six ex-bank officials and one Wahidur Rahman, proprietor of Firoz Group, for misappropriating Tk 152 crore from the bank between 2009 and 2013.

On September 12 last year, the six officials obtained five weeks' interim bail from the High Court, while Wahidur is still on the run.

After expiry of the bail terms, as per the HC order, they surrendered before a lower court concerned on October 11 last year. The court fixed February 20 for a full hearing in this regard, said Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.

According to the case statement, the accused made fake documents regarding the ownership of a land and submitted those as mortgage papers and obtained the funds from the bank's Banani branch between 2009 and 2013.