Basic Bank scam: SC stays HC order asking four accused to surrender in six weeks

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has stayed for eight weeks a High Court order that asked four accused in 20 cases filed in connection with the Basic Bank scam to surrender in the lower court concerned within six weeks. 

Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division, passed the order after hearing a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against the High Court order. 

The four accused are--- Sadia Akhter Shahin and ASM Anisur Rahman, AGMs of the head office, Md Jalal Uddin, an AGM of Motijheel local office, and Rumana Ahad, an AGM of Gulshan Branch of the Basic Bank. 

Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the ACC, while lawyer AM Masum appeared for the accused. 

Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said now there is no bar to arrest the accused in the cases. 

Earlier on August 3, the High Court asked four accused to surrender in the lower court concerned within six weeks. The High Court also asked the lower court to consider their bail on their surrender. 

The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the direction after disposing of 20 petitions filed seeking anticipatory bail in the cases. 

On June 12, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) finally approved the charge sheet against former BASIC Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu and 146 others in connection with 59 cases filed over embezzlement of Tk 22.65 billion. 

The commission, however, did not implicate the then-board members who were at the helm of the bank when the massive embezzlement took place between 2009 and 2013.

At that time, there were about 10 to 11 members on the board of the BASIC Bank and most of them were either running or former government employees.

Between 2009 and 2013, Tk 45 Billion was swindled out of BASIC Bank, once a healthy public bank. Of the sum, more than 95 per cent was sanctioned by the board.

In 2015, the ACC filed 56 cases in connection with the scam, but curiously, neither Bacchu nor any of the board members were named as accused although multiple probes indicated their involvement. Later, three other cases were filed.

However, the charge sheet against Bacchu, a former member of the parliament, took eight years to come by.

Of the 59 cases, Bacchu was made accused in 58 cases, according to officials with knowledge of the proceedings. The ACC implicated 101 clients and 45 bank officials in the cases.

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