The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has lodged a case against four officials of a bank and a businessman on charges of embezzling Tk 1.86 crore in collusion through forgery and fraudulence.
Assistant Director Sadhan Chandra Sutra Dhar filed the case at the ACC's Pabna district office on Tuesday.
The incident took place at the Pabna Ishwardi branch of Southeast Bank Limited. Meanwhile, the businessman stole the money and fled to India.
The bank's branch head and Assistant Vice President (AVP) Mushtaq Ahmed Manager Operations and Senior Executive Officer Nazrul Islam, Junior Officer Shamim Ahmed, Trainee Cash Officer (TCO) Imran, and proprietor of M/s Kayes Enterprises, Imrul Kayes, have been made accused in the case.
On April 11, 2019, through a pay order jointly signed by Mushtaq Ahmed and Manager Operations Nazrul Islam, Tk 1 crore was withdrawn from Islami Bank Ishwardi branch and brought to the bank. Junior officer Shamim Ahmed paid a total of Tk 1.50 crore to Imrul Kayes in cash, including Tk 50 lakh stored in the bank.
On the same day, through another pay order with the joint signature of Mushtaq Ahmed and Manager Operations Nazrul Islam, Tk 45 lakh was withdrawn from Mercantile Bank Ishwardi branch and brought to Southeast Bank Ishwardi branch. TCO Imran paid that money to Imrul Kayes in cash.
On the same day, Imrul Kayes requested Manager Operations Nazrul Islam to pay Tk 5 lakh in cash to Hamidur Rahman, owner of M/s Hamid Traders at Ishwardi Railway Station Road. Later, TCO Imran paid Tk 5 lakh in cash to Hamidur Rahman. Thus, Imrul Kayes borrowed Tk 2 crore from Southeast Bank Ishwardi branch without any documents.
After reviewing the CCTV footage and records, the ACC has found that on April 11, 2019, TCO Imran was instructed to deposit Tk 95 lakh in cash without accepting Tk 95 lakh through a written voucher from Manager Operations Nazrul Islam. Imran deposited that amount as the current account of Southeast Bank Ishwardi branch of M/s Kayes Enterprises without cash.
Manager Operations Nazrul Islam requested another officer of the bank, Golam Farooq, to make a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) of that amount. After his request, Golam Farooq inputted it into the RTGS system, and Manager Operations Nazrul Islam authorized it.
After authorization, the money was transferred from that account through RTGS to the current account of Kayes Enterprises at Dhaka Bank Chatmohar branch.
Reviewing the records, the ACC also learned that on April 11, 2019, two pay orders of Tk 50 lakh and Tk 13 lakh from Southeast Bank Ishwardi branch were issued in favor of BRAC Bank Ishwardi branch.
Both pay orders were given to Imrul Kayes, who withdrew that money from BRAC Bank Ishwardi branch. TCO Imran showed cash receipts on two pay order cash vouchers on the instructions of AVP Mushtaq Ahmed and Nazrul Islam without accepting any cash. It shows the issue of two pay orders in cash modes.
Actually, no money was deposited in the cash counter. Junior Officer Shamim Ahmed took the signature of Imrul Kayes on the counter part of the pay order and gave it to him on the instructions of the two branch chiefs, Mushtaq Ahmed and Manager Operations Nazrul Islam.
Thus, a total of Tk 3.58 crore was given to Imrul Kayes from Southeast Bank's Ishwardi branch without any kind of cash or documents.
On the same day, Tk 1.35 crore was deposited through a refund from the bKash account of Southeast Bank's Dilkusha principal branch in Dhaka to the CD account number of Southeast Bank's Ishwardi branch belonging to M/s Kayes Enterprises. This Tk 1.35 crore was withdrawn from this deposit to cover the payment made earlier to M/s Kayes Enterprises, and Tk 1.35 crore was adjusted in cash after deducting charges.
Imrul Kayes owed Tk 2.23 crore to the bank. Without depositing it in the bank, he left for India through the Sona Masjid land port on the same day, added the case statement.
On that day, an account was opened in the name of several borrowers to reconcile the shortfall of M/s Kayes Enterprises.
The account is debited, and the deficit is adjusted. The bank is closed after completing the day's transactions. An amount of Tk 38.25 lakh was deposited from 15 April 2019 to 13 November 2022 in the account named 'Sundry Debtors.' As a result, the bank owes Tk 1.86 crore, which the accused have conspired to embezzle.
Khairul Haque, Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Pabna branch said, “The case is under investigation. Drives ongoing to arrest the accused persons and we will take next steps after arresting them.”