BASIC Bank Scam: SC displeased as ACC didn't name Bacchu, others in case

Staff Correspondent
The Supreme Court yesterday expressed discontent at the Anti-Corruption Commission for not naming former BASIC Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu and its ex-board members in two loan scam cases involving Tk 75 crore.

“We do not want the Anti-Corruption Commission to maintain any 'pick and choose' policy in implicating accused in such cases, as nobody is above the law. All the allegations must be investigated with importance.

“Legal action will be taken against the investigation officers if they have any negligence in conducting inquiry,” Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha said, adding that the SC would monitor the investigation of the cases.

He was presiding over a three-member bench of the SC during hearing of two petitions by the ACC, challenging two High Court orders that granted bail to the then BASIC Bank general manager Zainul Abedin Chowdhury in the two cases.

The apex court adjourned the hearing till October 8 and extended its chamber judge's order staying the HC orders of bail to Zainul till that day.

The Commission filed two cases with Motijheel Police Station in 2015 against Zainul Abedin Chowdhury and 15 others on charges of misappropriating Tk 75 crore of BASIC Bank in connivance with each other. Zainul was arrested on April 5 last year.

Following two petitions by Zainul, the HC on May 25 this year granted him bail.

Later, the SC chamber judge stayed the bail upon ACC petitions and asked the Commission to file separate leave-to-appeal petitions with the SC against the HC orders.

While hearing the petitions, the SC on August 10 summoned the case records, which ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan placed before the top court yesterday.

During the proceedings, the chief justice asked the ACC counsel to read out the names of the accused.

At one point, the CJ asked whether the then chairman and board members of BASIC Bank had been implicated in the cases.

In reply, Khurshid said one former board member was implicated and others will be implicated as well if their involvement in the loan scam was found in the investigation.

The CJ told Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, who represented the government, that the law was equal to all and nobody was above the law.

The SC is the last resort of the people and its dignity must be upheld, Justice Sinha noted.

AM Aminuddin, who appeared for Zainul, said his client did not commit any offence as he had only recommended giving the loans.

Last year, the ACC filed 56 cases, accusing 110 people and organisations over irregularities in disbursement of loans worth about Tk 4,500 crore.

Of the accused, 27 were bank officials and the rest were borrowers and surveyors, according to the ACC.