Will BASIC Bank scam probe go on forever? HC asks ACC

The High Court (HC) has expressed its disappointment over the non-completion of a probe into 61 cases filed over the BASIC Bank scam.

"Will the probe into this scam continue for an indefinite period?" the court asked the Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday.

The ACC has yet to submit chargesheets for any of the cases although five years have passed since the investigations began. The matter of looking into the whereabouts of the laundered money of the bank is unrealistic, the court said.

The virtual bench of ​​Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman on Tuesday expressed its frustration during the hearing of a bail plea filed by Mohammad Ali, the accused in 14 of the 61 cases over the BASIC Bank scam.

Later, the court granted bail to Mohammad Ali, former manager of Basic Bank's Shantinagar branch, in a case.  However, it also fixed Wednesday for the bail hearings in the remaining 13 cases.

Lawyer Sagir Hossain Leon moved for the accused while Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC.

On 21 January, Mohammad Ali applied to the High Court for bail. At that time, the High Court asked the ACC to submit a full progress report on the BASIC Bank scam cases.

However, the ACC, in a report placed to the High Court on 23 February, said about Tk3,100 crore out of the Tk4,500 crore in the BASIC Bank scam has been recovered and deposited in the government treasury.

The chargesheets will be submitted as soon as possible after the whereabouts of the remaining money of the scam is traced, the ACC also mentioned in that report. 

A total 4,500 crore was laundered by BASIC Bank through loan forgeries between 2009 and 2013 in the single biggest loan scam of Bangladesh's history.

In 2015, the ACC filed 61 cases regarding the loan scam. But, neither Bacchu nor the members of the board of directors of the bank were shown accused in the cases. Investigations into none of the cases have yet been completed.