A case has been filed against former investment adviser to the ex-prime minister Salman F Rahman; former Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder; and 12 others, including 10 former and current officials of Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL), on charges of coercion, fraud, and defamation.
Former BIFFL chief executive officer SM Farmanul Islam filed the case in Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saiful Islam's court on Sunday. The court recorded the complainant's statement and instructed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the allegations and submit a report.
SM Farmanul Islam confirmed the matter to the media on the same day.
According to the case statement, the accused allegedly conspired to coerce the complainant into submitting a loan proposal amounting to Tk 1,400 crore for Salman F Rahman's Teesta solar project in July 2019. When the complainant informed them that such a proposal was against the company's policy, Abdur Rouf Talukder reportedly became enraged.
The situation escalated when the complainant was asked to invest Tk 200 crore in zero-coupon bonds for the project as an advance loan. Upon informing them that BIFFL did not have sufficient funds, the complainant said the former governor became further infuriated.
As the accused continued to demand illegal benefits and the complainant refused to comply, they allegedly forced him to resign. This resulted in significant financial loss, social humiliation, and defamation for the plaintiff.
In the wake of mass protests, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position on August 5 and fled the country. Since then, several government-affiliated leaders and officials have gone into hiding.
An interim government was formed on August 8, and it has since been reshuffling the administration and taking legal action against those involved in irregularities. Several leaders and officials are currently facing charges, with Salman F Rahman and former law minister Anisul Huq being arrested on August 13.
Many officials, including Abdur Rouf Talukder, who resigned on August 9, have stepped down from their posts.
