Allegations of irregularities against me utterly false, claims SK Sur 

Former Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank SK Sur Chowdhury has denied any involvement in irregularities in the financial institutions on the PK Halder issue.

"The allegations of irregularities against me are utterly false. I have told the committee what I have to say," he said in response to a question from reporters.

Sk Sur Chowdhury, on Tuesday, faced an interrogation of a fact-finding committee of the central bank formed to investigate irregularities in Bangladesh Industrial Finance Company Ltd and other financial institutions.

Deputy Governor AKM Sajedur Rahman Chowdhury, head of the probe committee, and other members of the committee quizzed him from 11 am to 1.30 pm at the conference room on the governor floor of Bangladesh Bank. 

What he said to the committee - In reply to such a question of the journalists, Sur Chowdhury said, "I said what the committee asked." 

At that time he looked distressed. He then hurriedly got into the car and left the Bangladesh Bank area.

Apart from him, the committee also quizzed former deputy governor SM Muniruzzaman, former executive directors M Mahfuzur Rahman and Sheikh Abdullah and current executive director Shah Alam.

When asked about the interrogation, Shah Alam refused to say anything about it.

After the interrogation, former deputy governor Muniruzzaman went to BB Governor Fazle Kabir's room. Emerging from the room, he claimed that there were no allegations against him. The committee asked him to appear before it to talk to him.

M Mahfuzur Rahman, the then executive director in charge of the financial institutions department and a former central bank spokesman, also claimed that there were no allegations against him. He said the probe body summoned him because he was in charge at that time.

After the interrogation, the committee head AKM Sajedur Rahman declined to comment and said the spokesperson would give details about what was found after questioning. 

When contacted, spokesperson and executive director Sirajul Islam also declined to comment.

Rashedul Haque, former managing director of the International Leasing, on 2 February gave a confessional statement in the court on the PK Halder issue.

In his statement, he accused the then deputy governor SK Sur Chowdhury and executive director Shah Alam, also in charge of the financial institutions and market department, of helping him in irregularities in the financial institutions.

Later, the BB transferred Shah Alam from the Financial Institutions and Market Department following the allegations.

Following the court's observation, Bangladesh Bank on 17 February formed the committee headed by deputy governor AKM Sajedur Rahman to determine the role of those involved in the financial irregularities of Bangladesh Industrial Finance Company Limited (BIFC) over the PK Halder issue and asked it to submit report by three months.

The probe report on a financial institution has already been finalised. The committee is expected to submit the investigation report next month, sources at the central bank said.