BB cancels transfers of 3 officials

Within hours of ousting Ahsan H Mansur and appointing a new governor, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) transferred five officials and reinstated three previously transferred officials back to their posts.

The five transferred officials are Md Zabdul Islam, Md Shahid Reza, Md Bayazid Sarker, Gazi Md Mahfuzul Islam -- all holding director posts -- and Md Kamrul Islam, an additional director. Their transfers were ordered yesterday through a notice issued by the central bank’s human resources department.

On Tuesday, three central bank officials were transferred. They were Nawshad Mustafa, general secretary of the pro-Awami League ‘Nil Dal’ at BB and director of the SME Special Programmes Department; AKM Masum Billah, president of the Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council elected from Nil Dal; and Golam Mostafa Shraban, general secretary of the council.

However, an amendment was issued by the same department yesterday, reinstating them to their previous posts.

Earlier on Monday, they were served show-cause notices for holding a press conference in violation of staff rules and commenting on policy decisions. The order for their transfer came a week after a section of BB officials, under the banner of the Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council, held a press conference on the BB premises.

At the press briefing, called suddenly on February 16, officials described Ahsan H Mansur’s position as “autocratic” on several issues, including the merger of weaker banks with EXIM Bank and Social Islami Bank and the initiative to grant digital bank licences.