After searching three private sector banks, it was found that on August 13, 2020, Mohammad Ali Arafat was given five crore taka from the CSR fund of Social Islami Bank in the name of Suchinta Foundation. The bank gave this money on verbal request without any application. In this case, the 454th board meeting of Social Islami Bank approved it. This money was taken from the bank to spend on youth development education activities. Although no money was used there. Rather, the entire money was first kept in a fixed deposit (FDR) in the private sector National Bank on August 27, 2020. From there, Arafat withdrew a total of 7.8 million taka in cash due to interest income at various times. Later, the original five crore taka was withdrawn and made an FDR at IFIC Bank. Around 6.6 million taka was withdrawn from there due to interest in mid-2024. In this case, the money was given cash withdrawal facility. After the fall of the Awami League government, the bank account of five crore taka in IFIC Bank was blocked.
According to Bangladesh Bank rules, banks are instructed to spend CSR funds on education, health, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and other sectors. There was also an instruction to donate 5 percent of the total CSR expenditure to the Education Assistance Trust Fund of former ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to Bangladesh Bank data, the country's banks have spent about 7.5 billion taka on the CSR sector in the last 10 years. About 70 percent of this expenditure has been deposited in Sheikh Hasina's relief fund. And with that money, arrangements have been made for celebrating Mujib Barsho, making films, and celebrating the birth and death anniversaries of Sheikh Hasina's family members. A donation of 227 crore taka was given to the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust just for celebrating Mujib Barsho. CSR funds were also spent on making a full-length film on Mujib's biography.
An official of Social Islami Bank, who did not want to be named, told Amar Desh, "The application copy was not asked because he was a minister. They were so powerful that they did not dare to ask for the application copy." This money was given on the direct orders of the former Prime Minister.’
He also said, ‘Nazrul Islam Majumder (former Chairman of Exim Bank) used to pressure Sheikh Hasina’s fund at various times. Due to his pressure, it was not possible to give money to the people who needed CSR money. CSR money is mainly given by banks to helpless people.’
Meanwhile, after the fall of the Awami League government, the BFIU asked Social Islami Bank to know how this money was given and where it was used. When asked, the acting Managing Director (MD) of Social Islami Bank Md. Forkanullah asked to speak to the bank’s Senior Vice-President Mazharul Haque.
Mazharul Haque told Amar Desh, ‘Neither MD sir nor I were at the head office at the time of this incident. However, none of those involved in this incident are in the bank now. After I came, I searched all the files and documents. No application was found there. However, all the documents of the money given to Suchinta Foundation have been found.’
He further said, ‘A pay order of five crore taka was approved in favor of the organization. Then the pay order was cleared and taken away. Now the account is blocked. A process is underway to get it to us. However, it is not a CSR fund. It was given from the bank’s profit. Later, efforts were made to find out how the fund went. After the political change, the minister and anyone from Suchinta Foundation could not be found. As a result, it was not possible to find out where they spent the money.’
Mohammad Ali Arafat was the member of parliament from Dhaka-17 constituency. After Sheikh Hasina left the country on August 5, this former state minister was not seen in public. No information was available about his whereabouts. When contacted, his personal number was found to be switched off. Therefore, it was not possible to get his statement on the matter.
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