Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will interrogate 14 senior officials of Janata Bank Limited (JBL) from November 18 next as part of its investigation into the non-funded portion of the Hall-Mark loan scam, officials said.

The anti-graft watchdog Monday sent notices to the JBL officials concerned asking them to be physically present and correctly response to the queries of its inquiry team on November 18 and November 19 (Sunday and Monday next).

The notices signed by chief of the six-member inquiry team and ACC Deputy Director Joynal Abedin Shibly were sent to the working places of the bankers.

Those who will be quizzed are JBL's local office branch officials - General Manager (GM) Aminul Islam, Deputy General Manager (DGM) Joynal Abedin, Assistant General Manger (AGM) Ruhul Amin Khan, Manager (Export) Alauddin Akhand and Export in-Charge Abdul Gafur; three officials of JBL's Elephant Road branch-Senior Executive Officer (SEO) AK Azad, SEO Shoaibul Kabir and AGM Mostaque Ahmed Khan; the bank's Bhaban Corporate branch officials-AGM Abdus Salam Azad, DGM SM Abu Hena Mostafa; and the rest-DGM (Ramna corporate branch) Mizanur Rahman, AGM (Ramna Corporate Branch) Kazi Raisuddin Ahmed, DGM (Foreign Exchange Branch) Sheikh Haider Hossain and AGM of the same branch Mizanur Rahman.

According to the notices, the first seven of the serial will be quizzed on Sunday and the remaining on the following day.

The commission took the decision to grill them before taking legal action in connection with the non-funded portion (over Tk 11 billion) of the total loan that had been swindled by the controversial group on forged documents.

"We'll ask them some important questions during the preliminary inquiry and lodge cases about the financial irregularities them on the basis of their response," chief of the ACC inquiry team Joynal Abedin Shibly told the FE.

Referring to interrogation of the Hall-Mark top officials, he said the controversial business group fraudulently took the non-funded amount from 26 commercial banks in the form of back to back LCs (letters of credit) and inland bill purchase (IBP).

Talking to reporters, ACC Commissioner M Shahabuddin said they have summoned 14 officials from five city branches of the state-owned JBL.

"Officials of 25 other commercial banks, mostly private ones, will also be interrogated in phases in connection with the largest financial irregularities in the country's banking history," he said.

News: The Daily Financial Express/Bangladesh/13-Nov-12