Nafeez skips ACC summon on graft allegations

Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat, the former chairman of Padma Bank, failed to appear before the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday after being summoned for questioning over graft allegations.

The ACC had sent a letter on October 16, summoning Sarafat to answer charges related to the embezzlement of Tk 800 crore from banks and involvement in a share market scam. 

The summons, issued by ACC Deputy Director Masudur Rahman, instructed Sarafat to present himself at the commission's office in Dhaka by 10:00am on Thursday.

A three-member ACC investigation team, led by Deputy Director Masudur Rahman and including Deputy Director Mostafizur Rahman and Deputy Assistant Director Muhammad Rakiz Minhaj, is probing the case.

The letter was delivered to three addresses in Dhaka's Gulshan and Khilkhet areas on October 16. Earlier, on October 7, the Dhaka Senior Special Judge Court imposed an international travel ban on Sarafat following an ACC petition, as the commission had launched its inquiry into him on August 15.

Nafeez Sarafat had been the chairman of Padma Bank, formerly Farmers Bank Limited, for over six years, resigning from his position in January this year. He took over the role in 2018, succeeding former chairman Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir.