Salman arrested in case over assault of BIFFL CEO for refusing Tk1,400cr Teesta Solar loan

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's private industry and investment affairs adviser, Salman F Rahman, has been shown arrested in a case filed over allegations that a Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL) official was assaulted, threatened with death and forced to resign for refusing to provide Tk1,400 crore to Teesta Solar and several Beximco Group companies.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Alam today (17 August) ordered Salman to be shown arrested in the case after taking cognisance of the investigation report submitted by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), confirmed the plaintiff's lawyer, Abbas Uddin.

According to the lawyer, PBI Investigation Officer Masud Rana submitted the investigation report to the court on 6 December 2025, naming six people, including former Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder.

Two of the accused, Md Monirul Islam Khan and Khandaker Anwarul Islam, are currently out on bail.

Salman F Rahman is the first accused to be arrested in the case, while three others, including the prime accused, Abdur Rouf Talukder, remain absconding.

The case was filed on 15 September 2024 by former BIFFL chief executive officer SM Formanul Islam at the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court. The PBI later investigated the case.

Following an application by the investigating officer, the court ordered Salman to be shown arrested in the presence of the accused.

Apart from Salman, the case names 12 people, including former finance secretary and former Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder and former National Board of Revenue chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem.

According to the case statement, Formanul Islam was repeatedly pressured during his tenure as BIFFL CEO to approve large loans and investment facilities for companies linked to Salman F Rahman.

The complaint alleges that he was asked to approve a loan of around $185 million, equivalent to nearly Tk1,400 crore, for a Teesta Solar project owned by Salman.

However, Formanul refused to approve the proposal because it did not comply with the institution's policies and procedures.

The case also alleges that he was instructed in advance to invest Tk200 crore in a zero-coupon bond for another company linked to Salman.

According to the complaint, he was also pressured to approve Tk100 crore in unsecured loans for several Beximco Group companies.

The complaint says that BIFFL's then CEO refused to approve those proposals because the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) report identified defaulted loans and other financial complications.

The case further alleges that during BIFFL's 80th board meeting on 28 July 2019, the accused confronted Formanul after he refused to provide the requested loan and investment facilities.

According to the complaint, he was physically assaulted, grabbed by the collar and slapped. He was then allegedly threatened with death and forced to sign a resignation letter.

The complaint also alleges that his official mobile SIM card was deactivated, his access to email was blocked, and the keys to his official vehicle were taken away.

He was also allegedly threatened with being implicated in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

As the allegations included fraud, abuse of power, physical assault, extortion and intimidation, the court assigned the PBI to investigate the matter.

After accepting the investigation report, the court issued summonses against the accused. When they failed to appear, arrest warrants were issued.

Later, Monirul Islam Khan and Khandaker Anwarul Islam surrendered before the court and were granted bail.