A suit was filed with a Dhaka court yesterday against 11 officials of Sonali Bank and 22 of Hall-Mark and its sister concerns over a Tk 525.6 crore loan scam.

Abul Hashem, deputy general manager of Sonali Bank's Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch, filed the case with the first joint district judge's court.

Judge Fazle Elahi Bhuiyan asked the defendants to explain by August 28 why action would not be taken against them for siphoning off funds from the bank on forged documents.

Hall-Mark Chairman Jasmine Islam, Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud and General Manager Tushar Ahmed have been made defendants in the suit.

Mainul Haque and Atiqur Rahman, former managing directors of Sonali Bank, and 10 other officials of different ranks are also made defendants in the suit.

Officials of Hall-Mark Group in league with Sonali Bank officials took the loan from Sonali Bank's Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch in the name of different companies through 177 vouchers showing fake documents from December 28, 2011 to March 28, 2012, according to a case document.   

The loan swelled to Tk 755 crore with interest taken into account until June 30.

Earlier in March, April, May and June, the bank filed 14 other cases against Jasmine Islam, Mahmud and 12 of their companies with the Money Loan Court-1 of Dhaka for taking Tk 401.05 crore in loan on forged documents.

Sonali Bank started filing the cases after it failed to get buyers for the mortgaged assets of Hall-Mark.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed 11 cases against 27 persons of Hall-Mark and its lender Sonali Bank in October 2012 and pressed charges against 25 of them in October last year on money laundering allegation.

Seven accused, including Mahmud, are now in jail while Jasmine Islam is on bail and 17 others are absconding.

Hall-Mark alone took away Tk 2,686 crore from the branch on forged documents between 2010 and 2012. The scam shook the country when it came to light in May 2012.