The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday questioned five people in connection with the non-funded part of Sonali Bank loan scam.

An ACC team, led by its director Mir Zainul Abedin Shebly, interrogated them at the ACC head office in the capital, ACC Public Relations officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told UNB.

Ruhi Das Chakrawarty and Amukhter Ramayan Das of Sadhapur Textile Mills; Jasim Uddin Mahmud, owner of Gomoti Enterprise; Saiful Alam Khan, owner of a spinning mill; and Akhtaruzzaman Khan, owner of Cotton Yarn Trading Zone, were interrogated on Monday.

Four more proprietors of private business firms were also interrogated on Sunday.

In August 2015, the ACC resumed its probe into the non-funded part of Sonali Bank loan scam since the Sonali Bank authorities in its internal probe found that some 37 commercial banks were involved in the non-funded part of the loan scam.

Hall-Mark Group swindled out a total of Tk 3,547 crore from the Sonali Bank -- both funded and non-funded ones. The controversial group swindled out Tk 1,568 crore from the bank’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch while it plundered Tk 1,709 crore from different private banks, showing Sonali Bank clearances.

In the non-funded part, Hall-Mark Group plundered Tk 1,709 crore from 37 commercial banks, including 25 private banks, five foreign banks and seven government-owned banks.

On October 4, 2012, the ACC filed 11 cases against 27 officials of Sonali Bank and Hall-Mark Group on charge of swindling out Tk 1,568 crore from the bank’s Ruposhi Bangla branch.

UNB/NS