3 Union Bank officials withdrawn over missing of Tk 19cr

Addressing a press conference in Dhaka on Thursday, Hasan Iqbal, deputy managing director of the bank, said the missing amount of Tk 19 crore was given to a VIP customer after banking hours.

"The money was given to a VIP customer after banking hours in the evening," he said.

Though the banking rules were violated through this, such incidents are not new. Such transactions might happen because of customer-bank relationships, he said.

During a regular visit to Gulshan Branch on Monday, a team of Bangladesh Bank opened the vault and found a big discrepancy between the amount mentioned on the documents and the money kept in the bank's vault.

According to branch documents, there was Tk 31 crore in the vault, but the inspection team found Tk 12 crore only, said a central bank source.

The branch officials could not give any answer to the central bank inspection team instantly about the missing amount, the source said.

"We have formed a committee to probe the matter, and three of those in charge have been withdrawn," Iqbal said.

In this regard, Bangladesh Bank executive director and spokesman Sirajul Islam said, "We have sought an explanation from the bank."

SZA