12 cases against Bismillah Group

The Anti-Corruption Commission has filed 12 cases against Bismillah Group for allegedly embezzling Tk 11 billion from five banks.

The anti-graft watchdog has found evidence of money-laundering to the tune of Tk 11.74 billion from the banks using fake documents.

The banks involved are Janata Bank, Prime Bank, Premier Bank, Jamuna Bank and Shahjalal Islami Bank.

ACC in the 12 cases have accused 13 people from Bismillah Group and 40 officials from the five banks for graft and money-laundering.

At a press briefing on Sunday, ACC Deputy Director Syed Iqbal Hossain, who led the investigation, told reporters - "According to the records we found, the company took Tk 11.74 billion from the five banks between 2006 and July, 2012, showing fake documents ."

Hossain said the Bismillah Group embezzled nearly Tk 5.27 billion from the Corporate, Moghbazar and Elephant Road branches of Janata Bank, over Tk 3.26 from Prime Bank's Motijheel branch, over Tk 620 million from Premier Bank's Motijheel branch, over Tk 1.54 billion from Jamuna Bank's Dilkusha branch and over Tk 1.03 billion from Shahjalal Islami Bank's Eskaton branch.

The Bismillah Group officials accused in the cases are --

* Bismillah Towel Ltd Managing Director Khwaza Solaiman Anwar Chowdhury

* Chairman Nawrin Hasib

* Directors Safiqul Anwar Chowdhury, Abida Hasib, Nahid Anwar Khan, Khandaker Moinuddin Ashraf, Sarwar Jahan

* DMD Akbar Aziz Muttaki

* Manager Riazuddin Ahmed

* Bismillah Group's sister concern Network Freight System Ltd Chairman Aktar Hossain

* Proprietor of TW Express Md Moinuddin

* Bay Yarn Ltd's Golam Mohiuddin Ahmed.

However, all the accused except Akbar Aziz Muttaki are currently absconding.

The remaining 40 accused are the officials from the five banks.