AHSAN HABIB

Banks donated Tk 1,243 crore to the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund and organisations linked to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family over a decade beginning in 2015 under the direct influence of the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), according to a forensic audit.

The audit found that the transfers took place when BAB was led by Nazrul Islam Mazumder, a close ally of the ousted premier.

Of the amount, BAB directly collected Tk 105 crore from member banks and later transferred it to selected organisations, while most of the remaining Tk 1,138 crore was provided directly by banks to the PM’s fund, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust and Shuchona Foundation following request letters issued by the association.

The auditors also identified another Tk 565 crore transferred by banks to the same organisations during the period, although they did not find any demand letters or documentary evidence showing the payments were made at BAB’s request.

Overall, 29 banks donated Tk 1,809 crore, around 24 percent of their total corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending, to the PM’s fund and organisations linked to Hasina and her family during the 10 years.

According to the audit, these transfers often did not align with the banks’ CSR planning.

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