The board of directors of NCC Bank has approved the appointment of Shamsul Arefin, who got the sack from Jamuna Bank about 10 years back for alleged loan irregularities, as its managing director (MD).
The NCC Bank authority also sent a proposal to the central bank for no-objection, Bangladesh Bank sources confirmed the matter.
A report in this regard was prepared by Ziadul Islam of Daily Amader Shomoy, an associate organisation of The Business Post.
The central bank is now reviewing the proposal. After reviewing the proposal, it will make a final decision.
Shamsul Arefin is currently serving as additional managing director (AMD) and acting managing director in NCC Bank.
According to the central bank policy, a person is not eligible as the managing director of a bank, if that person is removed, dismissed or demoted from the post of chief executive, chairman, director, officer or any other post.
But current additional managing director of NCC Bank Shamsul Arefin has been accused of concealing information about his dismissal from Jamuna Bank.
Shamsul Arefin has claimed that he is working at NCC Bank with a clean release order from Jamuna Bank. Even he did not agree to provide any documents related to clearance from Jamuna Bank to the correspondent of Daily Amader Shomoy.
Recently, a public interest complaint was filed against Shamsul Arefin with the Banking Regulations and Policy Department (BRPD) of Bangladesh Bank.
However, the copies of the complaint were also sent to the governor of the central bank, four deputy governors and chief of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU).
It is said that in order to ensure good governance in the banking sector, it is necessary to appoint professionally honest, efficient and experienced managing directors or chief executive officers.
For that purpose, Bangladesh Bank has been playing a responsible role in this regard.
The complainant also highlighted various irregularities of this banker.
When Shamsul Arefin was the manager of Jamuna Bank Dilkusha Branch, he allegedly committed irregularities in disbursement of many loans, including that of Bismillah Towel Group, and took illegal advantage from customers. As a result, the Jamuna Bank authorities fired him on July 17, 2013.
After that he stayed out of the banking sector for four years. The truth of this complaint has also been found. Amader Shomoy has obtained a copy of his termination from Jamuna Bank.
“You were terminated due to irregularities in the loan disbursement for Bismillah Towel Group while working as a manager at Dilkusha Branch in Dhaka,” said the letter written to Shamsul Arefin.
The correspondent of Daily Amader Shomoy contacted Shamsul Arefin. He claimed that the reason as to why Jamuna Bank had sacked him has not been proved.
“I had received a clean release order from Jamuna Bank and after that I joined another bank. I talked with Bangladesh Bank about this. If there is a clean release order, then there is no problem to be a MD,” he added.
When asked for a copy of the clean release order, he expressed his inability to give it.
Mezbaul Haque, Executive Director and spokesperson for the Bangladesh Bank, said, “Our department concerned is working on the matter. We will take the decision which policy supports.”
