Khulna:A court has sentenced four individuals, including a former bank manager, to varying prison terms for fraudulently securing a bank loan and embezzling the funds.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Khulna Divisional Special Judge, Mohammad Adib Ali, delivered the verdict, as confirmed by court bench assistant Yasin Ali. The convicted individuals are Golam Hossain, former manager of UCBL's Khan Jahan Ali Road branch; Shahjahan Ali Chowdhury, proprietor of M/S Ali and Sons; and guarantors Manzurul Alam and Golam Rahman. All four are currently absconding.
The court sentenced Golam Hossain to five years of rigorous imprisonment under sections 409 and 109 of the Penal Code and imposed a fine of Tk 10 lakh. Failure to pay will result in an additional two years of simple imprisonment. The other three individuals received five-year sentences under sections 409/109, 468, and 471 of the Penal Code, with a similar fine and default penalty.
The case documents reveal that Shahjahan Ali opened an account with the bank in 1999 and sought a Tk 25 lakh loan in 2001, which was initially rejected. After Golam Hossain became branch manager, he recommended the approval of a Tk 10 lakh loan without adequate document verification. The loan went unpaid, and the submitted documents were later discovered to be forged.
In 2003, the new branch manager, Md Sadikur Rahman, issued notices to the guarantors. Subsequently, it was revealed by a person claiming to be Golam Rahman that the documents were fake. The total outstanding amount had reached Tk 13,70,575.
As a result, Sadikur Rahman filed a complaint in 2005, leading to an Anti-Corruption Commission investigation. The ACC's report was submitted to the court in 2010, contributing to the legal proceedings that resulted in the convictions.