Exim and National banks face-off

Mia Mohammad Kausar Alam, a lawyer appointed by Exim Bank, rejected the explanation of National Bank on the allegation of torturing two top officials of the bank over a Tk500 crore loan.

On May 26, a report on the abduction and attempt to murder of Exim Bank's managing director (MD) and additional managing director (AMD) by National Bank's director Ron Haque Sikder and Dipu Haque Sikder was published in different media of the country.

On May 27, on behalf of the National Bank, senior lawyer Abdul Baset Majumder gave an explanation.

The explanation said Ron Haque did not apply for any such loan, and that the case was filed to socially malign him, the NBL and its board of directors.

In the statement of behalf of Exim Bank, Kausar Alam said, "The plaintiff, in that case, did not bring any complaint against the National Bank. The National Bank's self-proclaimed statement is irrelevant and an attempt to divert from the facts. "

He said the statement written on the National Bank's pad and signed by senior lawyer Abdul Baset Majumdar was surprising and is not legally justifiable.

He also said the topic of a director of Exim Bank to take a loan from National Bank or to apply for a loan in the name of his daughter or to take a loan from the plaintiff and not having adequate collateral, which lawyer Baset Majumdar said in his statement, is completely irrelevant to the case.

"Surprisingly, a public bank, without looking at the public's trust and confidence, has tainted the banking sector and the bank itself during this coronavirus pandemic by making statements that support criminals and can make the important banking sector unstable," the reply said.

"If there is any irregularity in processing a loan, then the bank has to take the responsibility," it further said.

In reply to why the case was filed 12 days later, Exim Bank's lawyer said that the plaintiff Sirajul Islam had filed the case in consultation with Exim Bank's managing director Mohammad Haider Ali Mia and additional managing director Firoz Hossain, and the reason for filing the case late is mentioned in the appropriate place in the details of the case.

In response to a question raised by National Bank's lawyer that there was no evidence in support of the case, Kausar Alam said the evidence will be presented in the legal process.

However, Kausar Alam also mentioned that National Bank is a public limited company, the victims have no complaints against the bank and the case was not filed with the intention of tarnishing the reputation of any of the directors of the bank.

It is alleged that on May 7, Ron Haque Sikder and Dipu Haque Sikder took managing director and additional managing director of Exim Bank, to show them the mortgaged land against a loan of Tk 500 crore.

However, a case was filed with Gulshan Police Station on May 19 alleging that the MD of Exim Bank was shot and then the two top officials were abducted and tortured for saying the price of the proposed mortgage land was low.

It is to be noted that Sikder Group owns National Bank.