DHAKA: The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday filed cases against 53 people for embezzling Tk 1200 crore on much-talked-about Bismillah Group loan scam.

A five-member special team led by ACC deputy director Syed Iqbal filed the 12 cases with Ramna Model Thana in the city around 12:45pm.

The ACC investigation team members confirmed the matter to banglanews.

On October 27, the ACC investigation team submitted a probe report on much-talked-about Bismillah Group loan scam accusing 42 allegedly involved.

According the report, huge amount of money have been misappropriated from banks in the name of exports of goods issuing fake BL (bill of lading), key document used in the transport of goods, and they also laundered money in different ways.

The investigation report recommended 42 people, including Bismillah Group Director Khaja Solaiman Chowdhury and his wife Nawrin Habib also chairman of the group, in 12 cases.

The group, a producer of terry towel, siphoned off around Tk 1,255 crore from five commercial banks, and its owner allegedly launched hotels and other businesses abroad with the laundered money.

The business organization swindled the money with the help of some bank officials between June 2011 and July last year mostly through LTR (Loan against Trust Receipt) using names of fake foreign buyers and forged documents, found the enquiry.

The controversial group siphoned off Tk 627.27 crore from three branches of Janata Bank, Tk 303.01 crore from Prime Bank, Tk 163.79 crore from Jamuna Bank, Tk 102 crore from Shahjalal Bank and Tk 59.15 crore from Premier Bank, said the sources. All the bank branches that disbursed the money are located in the capital.

Bismillah Group along with its several sister concerns, including Shaharish Composite Factory Ltd, Alpha Composite Towel Ltd, Shaharish KT Ltd, Hindul Wali Ltd and Bismillah Towel Ltd pulled off the loan scam, said the sources.

BDST: 1455 HRS, NOV 03, 2013
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