Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The central bank has asked all commercial banks to provide detailed information on bank accounts of 39 Sonali Bank Limited (SBL) officials including a former managing director within a week, officials said.
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) sent a letter to the managing directors (MDs) and chief executives of all commercial banks on Sunday in this connection, they added.
The names of these officials came up during separate investigations after the loan scam at the bank’s Ruposhi Bangla branch was unearthed in May this year, according to the BB officials.
The commercial banks have been asked to provide their savings, current, fixed or any other accounts in the statements.
“We will scrutinise the officials’ bank accounts to see whether any money laundering has taken place or not. So, we have asked the banks to provide info on their (Sonali Bank officials) savings, current fixed or other accounts,” a senior BB official said.
He also said the statements will be sent to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for legal action if it is found that they have illegal incomes.
Earlier, Sonali Bank itself, Bangladesh Bank and the chartered accountant firm Syful Shamsul Alam & Co found the Sonali Bank officials involved in the loan scam.
A BB investigation had found that the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch of Sonali Bank, based on forged documents, had lent Hallmark and five other companies BDT 35.47 billion between 2010 and May this year.
Of the BDT 35.47 billion, Hallmark alone took BDT 26.86 billion while T and Brothers received BDT 6.09.billion, Paragon Group BDT 1.46 billion, Nakshi Knit BDT 663 million, DN Sports BDT 332 million and Khanjahan Ali BDT 49.6 billion.
 
BBN/SSR/AD-17Sept12-1:24 pm (BST)