The Interim government has appointed Chairmen and Managing Directors in all government owned banks including Sonali, Janata, Agrani, and Bangladesh Krishi Bank. Dr. Yunus has appointed Ahsan H Mansur as the governor of Bangladesh, who was the main evil to destroy banking sector by applying wrong policy and sucked huge money from the banking net in the name of so-calledreforms.
They have appointed former Secretary Muslim Chowdhury as Chairman in Sonali Bank on August 29, 2024, who has resigned on March 2, 2026 showing his personal reason. Muslim Chowdhury is a Bonafide beneficiary of Sheikh Hasina government. Sheikh Hasina made him 13th Comptroller General of Bangladesh and Finance Secretary as well. Later Dr. Yunus appointed him chairman of Sonali Bank.
Yunus government has appointed Md. Shawkat Ali Khan as Managing Director of Sonali Bank on 30th October 2024 for a 3-year tenure. Prior Shawkat Ali Khan served as Managing Director of Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) and Deputy Managing Director of Rupali Bank,gaining highest blessings of Hasina.
Former Secretary M. Fazlur Rahman assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Janata Bank on September 18, 2024. He had earlier served as Chairman of the Board of Agrani Bank during 2003 to 2006. Since 2015, he has also been serving as the Vice Chairman of the Trustee Board of Pundra University of Science and Technology. Fazlur Rahman has not enjoyed any blessings directly from Hasina but he served many purposes of Hasina during last 17 years. His role in Agrani Bank was controversial due to unusual sanction of some loans; those have become bad and loss in less than a period of three years.
Md Mazibur Rahman has been appointed Managing Director of Janata Bank on 11 July 2024. Before he was MD of Probashi Kalyan Bank. Mazibur Rahman blessed huge unusual benefit from Hasina and again from Dr Yunus.
Syed Abu Naser Bukhtear Ahmed, a close friend of former finance minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhith has been appointed Chairman of Agrani Bank, where he was twice Managing Director during Hasina's era. Dr Yunus has appointed him Chairman of Agrani Bank. A good number of loans disbursed during Naser Bukhtear Ahmed era in Agrani Bank have become classified, most of them are treated as 'bad and loss.'
Md. Anwarul Islam officially took charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agrani Bank PLC in October 22, 2024 for the three years.The Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance appointed him as the CEO for a three-year term through a circular on October 21, 2024. Earlier he was Deputy Managing Director of the same bank and as a beneficiary of Awami League. There is a critic that Anwarul Islam has spent huge money for becoming the MD of Agrani Bank.
Md. Nazrul Huda joined Rupali Bank as Chairman of the Board of Directors on 15 August 2024. Before joining Rupali he was Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank during 2002 to 2011. From 2020 to August 2024, he was also a Director on the Board of Directors of Bangladesh Bank. Most of the banking scams were conducted during his tenure in Bangladesh Bank, a number of them were directed by Sheikh Hasina, told a source of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh Police.
Kazi Md. Wahidul Islam was appointed as Managing Director of Rupali Bank on December 24, 2024. Prior to this promotion, he served as the Deputy Managing Director (DMD) at Sonali Bank. A controversial banker Wahidul Islam's appointment was stopped twice in Rupali Bank but he has been able to manage Dr Yunus and his puppet governor Ahsan Mansur by spending huge cash, it is learnt.
Dr Mohammad Zahid Hossain, joined Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) as Chairman on October 20, 2024. Earlier Sheikh Hasina government has recommended him to be Principal Economist at South Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where he oversaw Bangladesh Country Programming and Economic Analysis-related works.
Sanchita Binte Ali has been appointed Managing Director of Bangladesh Krishi Bank on 22 October 2024. Before joining in BKB, she was Deputy Managing Director of Sonali Bank. Sanchita as beneficiary of Sheikh Hasina has enjoyed many undue facilities including promotion and posting superseding her seniors and best performers.
Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in August 2024, the interim government has been actively removed individuals deemed loyal to the Awami League from key positions in state-owned banks, although complete overhaul remains a work in progress. The banking sector, particularly state-owned lenders like Sonali, Janata, Agrani, and BASIC Bank, had been plagued by massive loan defaults and management controlled by individuals close to the previous administration. But later Dr Yunus has reappointed them in banking sector, just changing their pervious bank. Bankers treated is like 'the old wine in new bottle.'
Taking charge in new banks, they have not released any significant fresh loans but they have frequently rescheduled stuck up loans ignoring any rule of ethics and BB guidelines. Daily Industry will be published a serious of reports on the issue after this vacation.
Key points regarding banking sector management: Removal of Key Personnel: The interim government has removed or compelled resignations of several top officials and directors in major commercial banks following accusations of corruption and cronyism, including those linked to the S. Alam Group, which held control over multiple banks during the Hasina era.
Frozen Assets: The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has frozen bank accounts of various individuals, including family members of Sheikh Hasina and political figures from the Awami League.
Merger and Restructuring: The new central bank management (under Governor Ahsan H. Mansur) proposed merging several weak state-owned banks to improve governance, suggesting that only two or three state-owned banks should be retained to keep control of the financial sector.
Lingering Influence: Despite these actions, cleaning up the banking sector, which has suffered from a Tk 1.5 trillion rise in defaulted loans in state-owned banks alone, is challenging, as the previous management network was deeply entrenched.
Sources of Jatiyabadi Arthoniti Forum, a sister organisation of BNP, told Daily Industry that the new government is going to reshuffle the present management of government banks by appointing pre-BNP and progressive bankers very soon.
