Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said that the future of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC is “safest in the hands of BNP and the current government,” as he defended the lender’s ownership, governance and financial condition in parliament on Tuesday.
Speaking during a discussion on opposition notices and banking sector issues in the Jatiya Sangsad, the minister said the bank was founded by martyred president Ziaur Rahman and pledged that the government is committed to restoring its dignity and financial discipline.
He warned against any attempt to destabilise the institution, saying “no conspiracy or disorder” surrounding Islami Bank would be tolerated.
Rejecting allegations of embezzlement from the bank, Khosru said that there was no basis for such claims and argued that the controversy had originated from the last national election, pointing to unusually high campaign spending by candidates with no visible income sources.
He said the inflow of “unaccounted money” into politics was damaging democratic institutions.
Responding to opposition criticism over the bank’s chairman, the minister said Bangladesh Bank had not found evidence of wrongdoing. He also questioned claims that changes in leadership led to withdrawals of Tk 2,000–3,000 crore, calling the figures “baseless”.
“Customers do not deposit or withdraw money based on the name of a chairman,” he said, adding that unrest inside and outside the bank was being “orchestrated by an extremist group” to destabilise the institution.
The minister also cited financial data, alleging that the bank’s reported profits were artificially inflated through “window dressing” and deferred provisioning against defaulted loans.
He said classified loans had risen significantly and claimed that the bank was carrying a large burden of provisioning deferrals, leading to a reported net loss of around Tk268 crore in early 2026.
Khosru further said that despite past attempts to take over the bank, depositors had not withdrawn funds in large numbers, arguing that current claims linking leadership changes to depositor panic were unfounded.
He also praised the Bangladesh Bank governor, saying the central bank was now taking timely and proper decisions under a competent leadership.
Criticising attempts to undermine him over loan exposure, the minister said borrowing was not a crime, noting that many parliament members also held loans for vehicles, housing or business purposes.
Reiterating BNP’s position on financial discipline, he said the party had always believed in macroeconomic stability and that Islami Bank’s foundation under Ziaur Rahman made its future secure under BNP leadership.
He urged opposition members not to create instability over what he described as minor issues and called for collective efforts to strengthen the economy.
