Bangladesh News

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) formed an investigation committee yesterday to find out why the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) report on known loan defaulters, who are also aspiring candidates for the next upcoming parliamentary election, was not sent to the returning officers.

The committee will identify the current weaknesses of the bureau for avoiding similar mistakes in the future.

The CIB report containing detailed identities of loan defaulters did not identify Mossaddeq Ali Falu as a loan defaulter although he had been listed as one by Oriental Bank.

Falu is an aspirant candidate for the Dhaka-10 constituency in the upcoming election with a BNP ticket, who had not been disqualified by the returning officer concerned despite being a much talked about loan defaulter.

The four-member investigation committee was formed including BB General Manager Abed Ali, Naushad Ali, and Mesbaul Haque with the central bank’s Executive Director Khurshid-ul-Alam at the helm.

Meanwhile, a comment by Election Commission Secretary Abdur Rashid Sarkar sparked much resentment within the bankers’ community.

Rashid Sarkar in one of his opinions said there is no scope for any appeal or objection once a candidacy is granted by a returning officer. Only in a case of a rejection one has the chance of an appeal, he added.

The bankers in reply said during 2001 election 22 objections were raised even after the nominations had been granted. If it could be done then why not now, they asked.