Kumarkhali Janata Bank manager still in office despite irregularities

The embezzlement of about Tk 35 lakh in the name of interest waiver on agricultural and rural loans at the Kumarkhali Branch of Janata Bank in the district has been proven through investigation, but those involved are still at large.

Although the investigation was completed in 2022, the report has not yet seen the light of day. It has been alleged that the then Deputy Managing Director of the bank’s head office covered up the matter. After the fall of the Awami League government, a team from the Janata Bank head office investigated the money embezzlement again on April 27. It has been alleged that the investigation report is also being tried to be covered up.

According to sources from the 2022 investigation committee, most of the agricultural and rural loans of Janata Bank, Kumarkhali Branch have been disbursed since 2008. The loans became defaulted in 2012 as they were not paid. The then branch manager continued to take the interest money as income without showing the loans as defaulted.

A source in Janata Bank said that most of the loans given by the female branch manager at that time were fake. Most of the land documents and papers for these loans were prepared by a local computer shop. Therefore, the manager did not show the loans as defaulted, thinking that there might be problems later.

The investigation committee source said that when the then branch manager was transferred in 2014-15, Alamgir Hossain became the manager of the Kumarkhali Branch. He also followed the path of the previous manager. However, the managers after Alamgir Hossain identified the defaulted loans. Sajjaul Karim Sujan became the manager of this branch in 2020-21. He lured customers to deposit money by luring interest waiver. Later, the manager prepared a fictitious manual (handwritten) statement of the loan account and sent it to the main branch for interest waiver. And he got Tk 34,84,259 allocated for interest waiver by hiding the real facts.

The head office assigned the Kushtia Area Office to investigate whether this money was being deposited in the right place and as usual. At that time, the investigation team found evidence of embezzlement by the branch manager Sajjaul Karim Sujan. In addition, Tk 52,080 was deposited in the personal account number of the casual labor of the branch, Rabiul Islam. Later, that money was transferred to another account.

Upon learning that the branch manager was being framed for embezzlement, Abdul Jabbar, the then deputy managing director of the bank’s head office, forced the then Area Head of the bank, Abhimanyu Kumar Mandal, to give a normal investigation report over the phone without blaming anyone. The matter was then covered up.

In this connection, Abhimanyu Kumar Mandal said, “The investigation was conducted by the team I sent. I don’t remember the name, but an official from the head office pressured me to investigate.”

Aslam Sheikh, the head of the 2022 investigation committee and former senior principal officer of Janata Bank Kushtia area office, said, “The then deputy managing director Abdul Jabbar threatened the then area office head of the bank over the phone and forced him to suspend the investigation process and submit a normal investigation report without holding anyone responsible. The Kumarkhali Branch of Janata Bank was profitable. But due to the unfair practices of various managers, the branch has become loss-making.”

Sources have informed that after the fall of the Awami League government, a victim filed a written complaint to take action against Sajjaul Karim for embezzlement of money. Then the Janata Bank administration decided to conduct a new investigation. As a result, a team from the bank’s head office came to investigate on April 27. They collected detailed information. After learning about the investigation again, a source in Janata Bank confirmed that Sajjaul Karim Sujan, the president of the Kushtia Area Committee of the Independence Bankers’ Council, who is currently working in the Kushtia Area Office, is trying to stop the investigation.

In this connection, Sajjaul Karim Sujan said, “According to the report of the investigation committee, Tk 5.78 lakh has been returned.” He then requested the correspondent not to publish the news.

When this correspondent tried to contact the then deputy managing director of the head office, Abdul Jabbar, his mobile phone was switched off.

In this connection, Janata Bank Assistant General Manager (Administration) Abdul Alim said, “I am not aware of the investigation at the Kumarkhali Branch in Kushtia.”

The current head of the investigation committee, Janata Bank Assistant General Manager Nasir Uddin Mahmud, said, “The investigation is still ongoing. The report has not been submitted. If you want to know whether you have found the truth, it is not possible to tell everything over the phone.”