ACC interrogates Two businessmen over 40m 'bribes'

FT ONLINE

The Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC has questioned two businessmen over an alleged bribery of Tk 40 million borrowed from Farmers Bank and later sent to an “important” person’s bank account through a pay order.

The businessmen, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan Chandra Saha, arrived at the ACC headquarters in the capital’s Segunbagicha around 9:30 am on Sunday, said ACC spokesman Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya.

The investigation officer and ACC director Syed Iqbal Hossain led the inquiry, which began at 10 am.

The anti-graft watchdog had sent notices to the businessmen on May 6 at their Uttara office and permanent address in Tangail.

Although the ACC documents do not bear the name of the “important” person’ the media has reported that the account as belonging to former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

Justice Sinha faced criticism from the ruling party over the verdict of the 16th amendment to the constitution and went abroad on leave in October last year. He submitted his resignation during his stay abroad.

After he left, the Supreme Court had mentioned ‘11 specific complaints’ against him in a statement that included accusations of corruption, money laundering, financial irregularity and moral lapse.

However, the ACC had not previously taken any steps to investigate such sensitive complaints against an “important” person of the state, reports bdnews24.

“We will investigate any corruption no matter whoever has done it,” ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmud had told the media.

Commission officials said Shahjahan and Niranjan took Tk 20 million in loans each from the Gulshan branch of scandal-hit Farmers Bank in 2016 and transferred the amount to the ‘important’ person’s account on Nov 16 of the same year.

“The ACC decided to probe the issue after scrutinising written complaints it received,” said Bhattacharya.

The cash-strapped Farmers Bank owned by the ruling party lawmaker Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir has been beset with irregularities over the last four years that led to Alamgir’s resignation as chairman of the bank.