The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has interrogated Professor Abul Barkat, former chairman of Janata Bank and noted economist, in connection with a case involving the embezzlement of Tk297 crore from the bank. On Sunday, July 27, 2025, Barkat was brought from the central prison to the ACC’s Segunbagicha headquarters for questioning.
A team led by ACC Assistant Director Shahjahan Miraj brought Barkat to the headquarters, where the first day of his two-day remand interrogation began. On July 23, the case’s investigation officer requested a three-day remand, but after a hearing, the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court granted a two-day remand.
In February 2025, the ACC filed a case against the ‘AnonTex’ Group for embezzling over Tk297 crore from Janata Bank. The case named 23 individuals, including Professor Abul Barkat and former Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman. On July 10, Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) police arrested Barkat from his Dhanmondi residence. He was subsequently handed over to the ACC, and after his bail plea was rejected, the court ordered his imprisonment.
The case’s First Information Report (FIR) alleges that the accused, in collusion, engaged in fraud, forgery, and the creation of false records to siphon off funds from Janata Bank’s corporate branch at its headquarters. There are also allegations of money laundering, with the embezzled funds reportedly transferred abroad.
Notably, between 2010 and 2015, Janata Bank disbursed approximately Tk3,528 crore in loans to 22 entities under the AnonTex Group, during Barkat’s tenure as chairman. The ACC began investigating this loan scam in 2012, but the probe was halted in 2022 due to “lack of evidence.” Following a political change on August 5, 2024, the ACC resumed its investigation.
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