ACC interrogates five AB Bank officials on money laundering charges

The Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC has grilled five officials of AB Bank over money laundering charges.

The officials are Mahfuz Ul Islam, head of corporate treasury, Mohammad Lokman, head of Offshore Banking Unit or OBU, OBU executive Md Arif Neyaz, Secretary Mahadev Sarker Sumon, and head office executive MN Azim.

They arrived at the ACC headquarters at 9am Tuesday, ACC Deputy Director (Public Relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told bdnews24.com.

ACC Director Syed Iqbal Hossain and Assistant Director Gulshan Anwar interrogated them.

The five were summoned by a notice served on Dec 26.

Seven managing committee members of the leading private sector bank will have to face the ACC on Jan 7, according to a notice that ACC served on Monday.

They are Shishir Ranjan Bose, Md Mesbahul Hoque, Fahimul Hoque, Syed Afzal Hasan Uddin, Runa Zakia, and Md Anwar Jamil Siddiqui.

One businessman Saiful Hoque will be quizzed on Jan 4 for his suspected involvement in money laundering.

The graft watchdog grilled AB Bank Chairman M Wahidul Haque and former managing director M Fazlur Rahman on Dec 28.

Former managing director Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury and Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, head of financial institution and treasury, were grilled on Dec 31.

According to ACC, the AB Bank officials were allegedly involved in money laundering by setting up an offshore company in Singapore.

The laundered figure is Tk 1.65 billion that was transferred to a Dubai-based company PGF, it said.

ACC Director Syed Iqbal Hossain and Assistant Director Gulshan Anwar are leading an inquiry over the allegation.

Twelve high-ups of the bank are barred from flying abroad while the inquiry is on.