A court has issued arrest warrants for 25 individuals, including the former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Atiur Rahman, in connection with a corruption case.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Foyez passed the order after the court took into cognisance a charge sheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The court has further scheduled 4 March for the submission of the report regarding the execution of these warrants.
According to the ACC Public Prosecutor (PP) Mohammed Tariqul Islam, the charge sheet was filed against a total of 26 individuals, including renowned economist Dr Abul Barkat, for the alleged embezzlement of approximately Tk531 crore from Janata Bank under the name of the AnonTex Group.
During the hearing, Dr Abul Barkat, who is currently incarcerated, was produced before the court. The court rejected his bail application and ordered him to be sent back to jail.
Among those facing arrest warrants are former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank Abu Hena Mohd Razee Hassan, former managing director and CEO of Janata Bank Abdus Salam Azad, and former director Jamal Uddin Ahmed.
The list also includes various former bank officials, AnonTex Group Chairman Md Yunus Badal, and other top executives of the concerned organisation.
The ACC charge sheet states that the accused, in collusion with one another, used forged documents to embezzle Tk531.44 crore from Janata Bank. Including interest, the total amount of the embezzled funds now stands at approximately Tk1,130.19 crore.
The legal proceedings began on 22 February last year when ACC Deputy Director Md Nazmul Hussain filed the initial case.
While the original First Information Report (FIR) cited an embezzlement amount of over Tk297.38 crore, the final investigation led to the submission of the current charge sheet on 20 October, reflecting the higher figure.
