Bank seeks EC help to get back money from possible candidate

A private bank has sought the Election Commission’s (EC) help to get back loans it gave ruling Awami League’s mayor candidate Sayeed Khokon.

The EC says it has nothing to do with the issue so far, as Khokon is yet to submit nomination papers.
 
The last day for submission of nomination papers is Mar 28.
 
The polls to the three city corporations in Dhaka and Chittagong will be held on Apr 28.
 
The EC said they would have a chance to check the issue when scrutinising nomination papers on Apr 1 and 2.
 
A week before announcing the schedule on Wednesday, Premier Bank sent a letter to the EC informing it that Khokon was yet to repay a more than Tk 1.03 billion loan he had taken from the bank for his S and S Corporation.
 
Khokon, aspirant of Dhaka South City Corporation, also took Tk 147.7 million loan for his mother Fatema Khatun’s DD Corporation.
 
Premier Bank Managing Director, Khandker Fazle Rashid sought the commission’s help to get the money back.
 
He said Khokon’s taking part in the election without repaying the loans would go against the law.
 
Khokon, son of former Dhaka mayor Mohammad Hanif, is yet to be  considered as a candidate before the submission of the nomination papers.
 
The bank’s letter before a week of announcing the schedule surprised some EC officials.
 
One of them, seeking to be anonymous, said, “Didn’t they care when they gave the loan? It is the bank’s issue how it will recover the money. How they want the EC to be the scapegoat now!”
 
Joint secretary for EC Secretariat’s legal affairs Mohammad Shahjahan said the returning officers will check such complaints after someone becomes a candidate.
 
Khokon had submitted nomination papers when the EC had announced to hold the polls to Dhaka City Corporation in 2012.
 
He had no complaint against him about failure to repay loans at that time.
 
Khokon said the Premier Bank letter to the EC was a part of a conspiracy against him.
 
“I don’t know anything about the matter. Premier Bank has not send me a notice , why send a notice to  the EC now? So far I know, I am not a loan defaulter,” he said.
 
Loan defaulters cannot fight in any election.
 
The Bangladesh Bank provides an updated list of loan defaulters when the EC seeks after announcing polls schedule.
 
EC officials said someone would be declared ineligible to fight in the polls if he or she failed to repay bank loans from one year before submitting the nomination papers.