DHAKA, Jan 5, 2020 (BSS) – A Dhaka court today issued arrest warrant for
former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha along with 10 others taking into
cognizance graft charges brought by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Senior Special Judges’ Court of Dhaka
issued the arrest warrants as the ACC accused them of embezzling and
laundering about Taka 4 crore from the Farmers Bank (now Padma Bank) in 2016,
ACC lawyer Mahmud Hossain told reporters.
Earlier, investigation officer of the case and Director of the
independent graft commission Benjir Ahmed submitted the charge-sheet against
the 11 accused.
On December 4, the anti-graft body approved the charges against 11
persons, including former Chief Justice SK Sinha currently living in the
United States, in the case.
Ten other accused are: former Farmers Bank managing director AKM Shameem,
first vice-presidents Swapan Kumar Roy and Shafiuddin Askaree, senior
executive vice-presidents Gazi Salauddin and Ziauddin Ahmed, and vice-
president M Lutful Haque, bank clients Md Shahjahan, Niranjan Chandra Saha,
his uncle Ranajit Chandra Saha, and Ranajit’s wife Santree Roy.
However, name of one accused was dropped from the charge-sheet as he was
confirmed to be dead while another person was inducted into the sheet.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director Syed Iqbal Hossain filed the
case against Sinha and 10 others with the anti-graft watchdog’s Dhaka
integrated district office-1 at Segunbagicha on July 10, 2019 for allegedly
plundering Taka 4 crore from Farmers Bank creating fake loan documents.
According to the allegation, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan took the money on
loan from then Farmers Bank, which was later transferred to Justice Sinha’s
Sonali Bank account, showing it was earned from selling of his (Sinha’s)
house.