Charge framing hearing now on Aug 20

A Dhaka court yesterday deferred to August 20 for hearing on charge framing against 24 people, including Hall-Mark Group Chairman Jasmine Islam and its Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud, in 11 cases filed for misappropriating over Tk 2,600 crore from Sonali Bank.

The court passed the order as one of the accused Mainul Haque, now in jail, was not produced before it due to his illness.

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The Bangladesh Bank in May 2012 unearthed a loan scam of over Tk 3,600 crore in Sonali Bank's Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch. Of the sum, little known Hall-Mark Group alone took Tk 2,686 crore, using forged documents in connivance with some bank officials.

Later, the central bank handed the matter over to the Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation.

In October 2012, the anti-graft body filed the 11 cases against 27 top officials of Sonali Bank and Hall-Mark Group on charges of misappropriation of Tk 2,600 crore.

In 2013, the ACC pressed charges against 25 of them. But Atiqur Rahman, another accused and also a former deputy managing director of Sonali Bank died in a prison cell on August 25 last year.

Six accused, including Tanvir, are now in jail while Jasmine is on bail. The rest are absconding.