The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has brought charges of embezzlement and money laundering against former Surendra Kumar Sinha and 10 others.
ACC Director Syed Iqbal Hossain filed the case with the graft watchdog’s Segunbagicha office on Wednesday (Jul 10), said Md Dilwar Bakth, secretary of the commission.
The 11 people stand accused of embezzling Tk 40 million from Farmers Bank, currently known as Padma Bank.
According to the case documents, in addition to Sinha, the other accused are former Farmers Bank managing director AKM Shamim, senior executive vice president and former credit chief Gazi Salahuddin, first vice president Shwapan Kumar Rai, senior vice president and former branch manager Md Zia Uddin Ahmed, first vice president Shafiuddin Ashkari, vice president Md Lutful Hoque, businessmen Md Shahjahan, Niranjan Saha, Shantri Rai alias Simi and her husband Ranjit Saha.
Sinha resigned as chief justice in November 2017 following a fall out with the government after the Supreme Court scrapped the 16th constitutional amendment stripping the parliament of its power to impeach apex court judges.
His observations on the verdict drew criticisms against him from the ruling Awami League.
Following his resignation, Sinha moved to the United States after spending time with family in Australia.
In 2018, during an event in Washington DC, the former chief justice said that he was seeking political asylum in the US.
The same year he unveiled his autobiography where he accused the AL-led government of intimidating and threatening him to leave the country.
In September 2018, Bangladesh National Alliance (BNA) Chairman Barrister Nazmul Huda filed the case against Sinha with Shahbagh police station in Dhaka for allegedly demanding bribe.
He alleged that Sinha, being instigated, changed the verdict of a case against him in spite of the fact that the case was earlier disposed of at the High Court.
Sinha allegedly demanded Tk 20 million in cash and half of a bank guarantee of Tk25 million in bribes from Huda to dispose of the case.
