Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the stock market regulator has fined individuals and institutions Tk 14.96 billion over alleged irregularities, manipulation and controversial transactions.

On Tuesday, the second day of the budget session, Khosru revealed the information in parliament while responding to a question from Md Selim Reza, a treasury bench MP from the Sirajganj-1 constituency.

The penalty was imposed by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) after its reconstitution following the July Uprising, he said.

The stock market regulator made the decision based on inquiries and investigations into 12 discussed issues after Aug 5, 2024, banning ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s former advisor Salman F Rahman, former BSEC chairman Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, former commissioner Shamsuddin Ahmed and some top officials of several industrial groups and financial institutions.