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Finance boss faces JS music

Staff Correspondent
TVvo senior lawmakers of the ruling Awami League yesterday tore into Finance Minister AMA Muhith over his remarks on the Sonali Bank loan scam that the Tk 4,000
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crore swindled was a petty amount.
They also requested the finance minister to refrain from making such comments.
Taking the floor on a point of order in the House, the lawmakers also demanded immediate arrest of the persons involved in the loan scam and punitive action against them.
"How could he say there was nothing to make a hue and cry about the swindling of Tk 4,000 crore. This amount might not be considered enormous by him. But it is a huge amount of money for the people, and they were hurt by the remark,” AL lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim said.
The government must take proper action even if one taka is embezzled, he said.
He demanded the immediate arrest of Tanvir Mahmud, managing director of Hall-Mark, and others involved in the scam. He said they should be placed on remand to ascertain whether they had kept the money in the country or siphoned it off abroad.
“Otherwise, the government will be held responsible for the scam as some officials of the finance ministry, Bangladesh Bank and Sonali Bank are involved in the scam,” Selim observed.
He demanded that the
government take immediate action against the nexus without sending the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Extending his support to Selim, AL lawmaker Tofail Ahmed held responsible the political appointment of the board of directors of different state-run banks.
“Such incidents will happen if the people, who do not have any banking experience, are appointed as members of the board of directors,” he added.
Criticising the finance minister for blasting the media over their extensive reports on the scam, Tofail said blaming the media would not yield any results.
“Media do their own jobs,” he said, adding, “Now we will have to investigate the matter and take exemplary action against the culprits.”
Without citing any name, Tofail said during the investigation, a Sonali Bank manager had revealed the name of an adviser to the prime minister and others.
“The manager alone is not involved in it. Arrest the manager, and interrogate him to get the name of others,” he said.
Many ruling alliance MPs were seen supporting Tofail and Selim by thumping their desks.
The finance minister was not present in the House during the discussion.