BASIC scam: HC denies businessman Belayet permission to go abroad
Earlier in 2019, the ACC issued a travel ban on Gazi Belayat as investigation was underway against him
The High Court (HC) has refused to allow a businessman named Gazi Belayet to travel abroad over the embezzlement of Tk350 crore in a BASIC Bank scam case.
The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman on Sunday dismissed the petition filed by the accused, seeking its permission to go abroad.
Earlier on 18 April 2019, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) issued a travel ban on Gazi Belayat as investigation was underway against him, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said.
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Last year, the ACC issued a letter to the special branch of the police banning Belayet from leaving the country.
According to that letter, the anti-graft body is investigating the embezzlement of Tk4,500 crore through illegal loans from various branches of BASIC Bank. 61 cases have been filed in this regard, investigation of which is going on.
Sources said Belayet has taken a large amount of loans from BASIC bank in the name of Messrs Belayet Navigation and several fake organisations. His core business is procuring scrapped ships to wreck or scrap.
To get loans, Belayet paid 'large sums' of bribes to some officials of Basic Bank, including its former chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu and former manager of Gulshan branch Shipar Ahmed, it added.
According to the report of Bangladesh Bank, BASIC Bank's Gulshan branch gave loans of Tk350 crore to 12 companies.
These include SFG Shipping Line, S Resource Shipping Line, S Suhi Shipping Line, Chiffon Shipping Line, Asian Shipping Line, Labs Enterprise, Bangladesh Development Company, Delta Systems Limited, Brothers Enterprise, Green Bangla Holding Kiev Trading and M Nasiruddin & Basgriho Properties.
Of these, Belayet was involved with multiple shipping lines, the sources said.
