The government has cancelled the contractual appointment of Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Md Zakir Hossain Chowdhury nearly 14 months before the scheduled expiry of his term.
Simultaneously, Md Anisur Rahman, an executive director of the central bank, has been appointed as the new deputy governor for a three-year period.
Financial Institutions Division (FID), under the Ministry of Finance, announced these decisions through two separate notifications on Monday, stating that both orders would take effect immediately.
FID Secretary Nazma Mobarek told TIMES, “Following a government decision, Anisur Rahman has been appointed as Deputy Governor in place of Zakir Hossain Chowdhury.”
According to the notification issued under Section 10(4) of the Bangladesh Bank Order, Md Anisur Rahman’s appointment is subject to his voluntary retirement from his current post and the suspension of his Post Retirement Leave (PRL).
The remaining terms of his three-year contract will be finalised through a formal agreement.
In a separate notification, the government cancelled the remainder of the tenure of Md Zakir Hossain Chowdhury. He had been appointed as Deputy Governor on 8 September 2024 for a three-year term, which was originally set to conclude on 7 September 2027.
While both notifications noted that these decisions were taken in the “public interest,” no specific reason was provided for the premature termination of Zakir Hossain Chowdhury’s contract.
