https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/corruption/acc-approves-charge-sheets-against-sikder-brothers-11-others-money-laundering

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today (29 October) approved two separate charge sheets against 13 people including former directors of National Bank Limited Ron Haque Sikder and Rick Haque Sikder for money laundering and corruption.

Md Akhtarul Islam, deputy director of the Public Relations Department of ACC, disclosed the information to the journalists at his office in city's Segunbagicha.

The other accused in the charge sheets are Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Shah Syed Abdul Bari, M A Wadud, asm Bulbul, Chowdhury Mustak Ahmed, Uzzwal Kumar Paul, Mohammad Rezwanul Haque, Subir Chandra Kar, Md Shamsul Alam, ANM Ahsan Habib and Tariqul Islam Khan. All these accused persons are present and former officers of National Bank Limited.

According to the ACC investigation, the two Sikder brothers in connivance with the other accused used huge amount of foreign currencies through their credit cards defying rules and circulars of Bangladesh Bank despite having insufficient balance in the foreign currency accounts from 2017 to 2021.

The ACC during its investigation found that accused Ron Haque Sikder illegal spent $60,92,225 equivalent to Tk50 crore in Bangladeshi currency in abroad through his credit card at that time while Rick Haque Sikder used $26,22,499, equivalent to about Tk21 crore, from his credit card in abroad. They later tried to adjust the money to the bank through money laundering.

Md Benzir Ahmed, a director of the ACC headquarters on 31 March in 2024 filed two separate cases against Rick Sikder and 11 officials and Ron Sikder and 11 others of the National Bank for taking fraudulent loans through credit cards and money laundering. 

ACC Assistant Director Ferdaus Hassan after investigating both the cases submitted the charge sheets.

The ACC submitted the charge sheets against the accused persons under section 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act-1947, sub-sections 2 and 3 under section 4 of the Money Laundering Prevention Act-2012 and section 109 of Bangladesh Penal Code (BPC).