Published : 09 Aug 2026, 09:32 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:31 AM
Three more witnesses have testified in a corruption case against S Alam Group Chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam, also known as S Alam, and former Reliance Finance managing director Prashanta Kumar (PK) Halder, alongside 11 others accused of embezzling Tk 340 million through “fraud and abuse of power”.
Judge Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 recorded their statements on Sunday.
The witnesses were Aviva Finance Ltd Managing Director and CEO Mohammad Modasser Hasan, Joint Stock Companies and Firms Assistant Registrar Ananta Kumar Pal, and Midhat Aziz, AVP and head of CRM at Deposit Operations.
Aviva Finance was formerly known as Reliance Finance Ltd.
Court stenographer Sohanur Rahman said the cross-examination of Midhat had been completed, while the other two witnesses had yet to be cross-examined.
The court has scheduled Sept 7 for the cross-examination of the remaining two witnesses, he said.
With Sunday's proceedings, 14 of the 15 witnesses in the case have testified.
The same court ordered the trial to begin after framing charges against the 13 suspects on Jan 19.
The other suspects are S Alam Group Vice Chairman Abdus Samad; directors Mohammed Abdullah Hasan and Shahana Ferdous; former Reliance Finance executive vice-president Rashedul Haque; former manager Nahida Runai; former senior vice-president Kazi Ahmed Jamal; former deputy manager Jumaratul Banna; and former Marine Vegetable Oils managing director Zahir Ahmed and directors Tipu Sultan, Mohammed Ishaq and Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun.
Nahida and Rashedul are in jail. The other suspects are absconding and arrest warrants have been issued against them.
The trial's witness examination began on Feb 23, when ACC Deputy Director Tahasin Monabil Haque, who filed the case, testified.
Five witnesses testified on Jun 22, four on Jul 8 and one on Jul 19.
According to the case, the suspects allegedly colluded to approve a Tk 340 million term loan in the name of a fictitious company, AM Trading, on Aug 8, 2013.
The loan was disbursed on Sept 9 that year and transferred to S Alam Super Edible Oil Ltd.
Tahasin filed the case on Jul 2, 2025. After investigating, he submitted a chargesheet against the 13 accused on Oct 16.
