Asked not to join Sonali Bank board meeting
Sonali Bank to remove him from directorship soon
ACC probing graft allegation
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Sunday removed Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal President Matiur Rahman, also a member of the board, from his post.
Notification issued on Sunday by the Ministry of Finance, he has also been attached to the Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the Finance Ministry, after his removal.
The decision would be effective immediately, the notification said.
Besides, Matiur Rahman is going to be removed from the post of a director of state-owned Sonali Bank PLC's, according to sources.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Sunday that the process was underway to remove Matiur Rahman from the board of directors of Sonali Bank,
The NBR and the Sonali Bank PLC have taken the decision following massive allegations of corruption and embezzlement of money against Matiur and his family members.
Matiur and his family members have now become the topics of much discussion across the country.
In the circumstance, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has
also decided to launch investigation into allegation of corruption.
The ACC already formed a three-member probe committee in this regard.
According to the notification of the Ministry of Finance, after Matiur has been removed from all the posts in the NBR, he has been given no specific designation in his new role, effectively making him an Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
This marks the first time in history that an NBR tribunal president has been removed from their position.
Besides, sources concerned said Matiurn Rahman is going be removed from Sonali Bank PLC's director post.
Earlier on Sunday, Matiur, who also serves as a director of the state-owned Sonali Bank PLC, was asked not to attend a meeting of the bank's board, according to sources.
A high official of the bank confirmed that Matiur Rahman did not come to the meeting on Sunday.
His removal from the directorship is expected later this week, sources from the Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance and Sonali Bank said.
Sonali Bank officials, seeking anonymity, confirmed that Matiur Rahman had been asked not to attend the upcoming meeting, which began at 11:00am on Sunday.
Sources have indicated that the Financial Institutions Division has verbally informed Sonali Bank that Matiur should not attend the board meeting.
Consequently, the bank advised Matiur to abstain from attending, and he has complied.
However, the Financial Institutions Division informed that the final decision regarding Matiur's removal has not been made yet, as the finance minister is currently in Vienna. He will return on June 27, and until then, Rahman will retain his position.
On June 4, the Anti-Corruption Commission had started an inquiry against Matiur Rahman over allegations of amassing illegal wealth and money laundering.
The allegations against him surfaced after a video of Matiur's son, Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, who bought a goat at a price of Tk 15 lakh, went viral before Eid-ul-Azha.
This raised questions about the income of this official with a basic monthly salary of Tk 78,000.
This recent scandal has brought significant attention to Rahman's family's lavish lifestyle and raised questions about his suitability for the directorship at Sonali Bank.
ACC probing graft allegations against Matiur: official
Meanwhile, the ACC is investigating allegations of corruption against Matiur Rahman.
ACC Secretary Khorsheda Yasmin said on Sunday that a three-member committee has been formed with a deputy director as its head for probing allegations of amassing illegal assets and money laundering against Matiur.
The commission decided to form the probe team on June 4.
