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enabled this. This is an ominous signal for the country.”

Loan defaulters often go to the HC without repaying their bank loans and file writ petitions that drag on for years, said Mujeri, a former chief economist of the Bangladesh Bank.

He stressed that laws must be changed and the number of money loan courts increased.

“More judges, lawyers and courtrooms are required so that financial cases can be resolved quickly. When defaulters see that even writ petitions are disposed of within two to three months, they will no longer be able to gain undue advantages by filing them.”

Political governments have not implemented these reforms for various reasons.

“We expected the interim government would do it, but it did nothing,” he added.

The amended RPO under the interim government allows the Election Commission to cancel an MP’s seat even after the election if it is proven that the person is a loan defaulter or has provided false information.

“We can only state who is a loan defaulter and who is not -- the authority to decide the validity of an election rests solely with the EC,” said BB Spokesman Areif Hossain Khan,

The bank can appeal against a candidate’s writ petition, after which the EC will make its decision.

“But there is nothing more for us to do,” said Khan, also an executive director of the BB.

For the 13th parliamentary election, 2,574 candidates submitted nominations across the country. Of them, 2,461 candidates were found to be default-free, according to BB officials.