The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday pressed charges against Beximco Holdings Ltd Chairman Sohel F Rahman, Vice-chairman Salman F Rahman, its two directors and two former high-ups of IFIC Bank Ltd in a Tk 158.67 crore embezzlement case.
Meantime, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) filed a case against detained former BNP lawmaker from Demra Salahuddin Ahmed, his wife, three sons and daughter for evading over Tk 2.41 crore in income tax from 2004 to 2008.
BEXIMCO CASE
ACC Assistant Director Ashraful Alam, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against the accused to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court showing 40 people as prosecution witnesses.
The other charge-sheeted accused are ex-manager of IFIC Bank's Motijheel branch Asab-ud-Doula, its ex-vice president Ziaul Bari and Beximco Holdings Ltd directors Iqbal Ahmed and MA Qashem.
Of the accused, Salman F Rahman is now in jail custody while the other five have been absconding since the case was filed.
The IO prayed for issuing arrest warrants against the absconding accused and the order to attach their properties.
He also prayed for dropping charges against former managing director of IFIC Bank Ataul Haque as the allegations brought against him were not proved.
ACC Assistant Director Muhammad Mahbubul Alam filed the case against them with Motijheel Police Station on September 5 last year on charges of withdrawing over Tk 158.67 crore from IFIC Bank in the name of Beximco Group through deception and forgery.
The complainant said the accused took out a loan of over Tk 158.67 crore submitting seven wills of 130.42 acres of land of Beximco Properties Development Management and showing false wills of Beximco Holdings as equitable mortgage. The accused also showed 112 fake organisations' accounts while taking the loan.
The top brass of Beximco Group and the ex-IFIC officials were involved with the procedure to release the credit violating banking rules and misusing power.
CASE AGAINST SALAHUDDIN FAMILY
NBR Deputy Tax Commissioner Shaon Chowdhury filed the case with the Dhaka Senior Special Judge's Court against the former lawmaker and his family members for committing the offence.
The accused include Salahuddin's wife Shamsunnahar Begum, sons Imran Ahmed, Tanvir Ahmed and Shahriar Ahmed and daughter Farhana.
NBR said Salahuddin, also the director of ITM Enterprise (Pvt) Ltd, and his family members evaded Tk 24,104,343 in income tax from 1995 to 2005.
Judge Azizul Haque took the charges into cognisance after the hearing and directed the jail authorities to produce Salahuddin before the court on July 31. The court also issued arrest warrants against his wife, sons and daughter.
In his order, the judge said the charges brought against the accused were primarily proved and they should be brought under trial.
The former lawmaker and his family members gave false information about their real income and expenditure to the income tax department, the complainant added.