Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Tuesday called for a full investigation into Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, covering alleged illegal dismissals, politically motivated appointments, defaulted loans and share transfers while sharply rejecting attempts to frame the controversy in religious terms.
Speaking in the National Parliament in response to a notice by Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman, the minister said it was necessary to look into the reinstatement of employees unfairly dismissed from the bank, as well as the legitimacy of appointments made on political grounds. He also confirmed that a probe would be launched into institutions and individuals including the Nabil Group that took loans from the bank and failed to repay them.
The minister said that around 9,000 employees were allegedly dismissed illegally in the past and that this would also be brought under investigation.
On share transfers, he assured Parliament that arrangements would be made to properly transfer shares to legitimate shareholders of Islami Bank.
Salahuddin Ahmed firmly rejected what he described as deliberate attempts to conflate the bank's troubles with religious identity. "Islami Bank is not Islam. Mirza Fakhrul Islam is not Islam. Jamaat-e-Islami is not Islam either," he said. "It is not right to invoke Islam in everything."
He alleged that a group was organising street protests under the cover of being bank customers, and said the political identity of those involved was clear from available video footage. "Opposition political forces can carry out political programmes if they want but they should not mislead the public and create tension," he said.
On the regulatory question, the minister noted that under the Bank Company Act, Bangladesh Bank has the authority to change the bank's board of directors, including the chairman. He said that if there are legal questions about this power, they must be resolved through legislative amendment.
