The Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, has prosecuted former Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman, former Janata Bank chairman Abul Barkat, former Janata Bank director Jamal Uddin Ahmed, and 20 others for embezzling Tk 2.97 billion through loan fraud involving AnonTex at Janata Bank. ACC Deputy Director Nazmul Hossain filed the lawsuit on Thursday, alleging that the defendants illegally approved and disbursed loans in exchange for inflated valuation of mortgaged land, thereby defrauding Janata Bank. According to ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain, the case has been registered at the Dhaka Integrated District Office 1 of the commission. The formal charge states that the fraud took place from Feb 5, 2013 to December 2024, through exaggerated property valuations and other deceptive practices. The investigation into AnonTex’s loan irregularities began in 2022, but at that time no sufficient evidence was found against the accused. Among the other individuals named in the lawsuit are: M/S Suprov Spinning Limited • Managing Director Md Anwar Hossain • Director Md Abu Talha Janata Bank • Former branch manager and general manager - subsequently Managing Director and CEO Abdus Salam Azad • Former deputy general manager Azmul Haque • Former assistant general manager Ajay Kumar Ghosh • Former manager (Industrial Loan-1) Md Golam Azam • SME Division’s Executive Engineer Md Shahjahan • SEO Md Emdadul Haque • Former deputy general manager Md Abdul Jabbar • Former general manager and deputy managing director Md Golam Faruq • Former Deputy Managing Director Omar Faruq • FCA Md Emdadul Haque • Nagibul Islam Dipu • RM Debnath • Md Abu Naser • Sangeeta Ahmed • Nitai Chandra Nath AnonTex Group • Chairman and Managing Director Md Younus Badal Bangladesh Bank • Former assistant director Mosammet Ismat Ara Begum • Former deputy governor-2 Abu Hena Mohammad Raji Hassan According to the First Information Report, or FIR, the borrower claimed ownership of the mortgaged property before actually acquiring it and presented a fictitious structure on that land as collateral. In collusion with one another, the accused allegedly forged documents and inflated valuations despite the fact that no real factory or structure existed on the property. A plot of land purchased for Tk 30.5 million – without any structures – was allegedly appraised at Tk 1.65 billion—an exaggerated valuation. Using this inflated valuation, the defendants secured and distributed loans, resulting in the misappropriation of Tk 2.973 billion from Janata Bank. The FIR details each individual’s role in the process, asserting that the first defendant Md Anwar Hossain, managing director of M/S Suprov Spinning, facilitated the inflated property valuations, while other defendants assisted or benefited from this scheme. Director Md Abu Talha, for instance, is accused of knowingly using false documents to help embezzle funds from Janata Bank. Several former Janata Bank officials—including the ex-branch manager and general manager Abdus Salam Azad, former DGM Azmul Haque, former AGM Ajay Kumar Ghosh, and others—are accused of facilitating the approval and disbursement of these fraudulent loans in violation of Bangladesh Bank regulations. Although some Janata Bank officials initially had warned that approving this loan would breach central bank policies, they ultimately recommended it subject to approval from Bangladesh Bank. Investigators found that AnonTex Group Chairman Yunus Badal embezzled Tk 505 million of the approved Tk 1.8 billion loan by transferring it to accounts held by other entities under the group. Former Janata Bank chairman Abul Barakat, former director Jamal Uddin Ahmed, and several other senior officials are alleged to have misused their authority to assist in approving and embezzling the funds. Former Bangladesh Bank assistant director Ismat Ara, former deputy governor-2 Abu Hena, and ex-governor Atiur have also been implicated for enabling the loan to a relatively unknown business entity, ultimately facilitating the misappropriation of funds. The FIR notes that while evidence suggests involvement by additional Bangladesh Bank personnel—namely individuals who worked at the Department of Off-Site Supervision on Nov 24, 2013, including joint directors, deputy general managers, and executive directors, their names have not been included due to unavailability of personal details. The ACC intends to review their roles during the investigation. Atiur became the 10th Governor of Bangladesh Bank in May 2009, just five months after the Awami League formed its government. His tenure was extended once, but he resigned in March 2016 amid controversy over a reserve heist, before the scheduled end of his term in August of that year. Barkat served as chairman of Janata Bank for two consecutive terms, totalling five years, until his departure in September 2014. He was first appointed to the position for three years on Sept 9, 2009.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has described February 21 as an unforgettable chapter of the nation’s history and said the great language movement always awakens a sense of nationalism and unity.    “The language movement awakens our sense of nationalism and unity. The great language movement is the first step towards achieving the nation’s freedom movement,” he said in a Facebook post this noon marking the International Mother Language Day. Tarique Rahman remembered all the martyrs with deep respect saying, “On the blood-stained February 21, Dhaka University students shed their fresh blood to protect our mother tongue.  Many including Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, and Jabbar sacrificed lives on that day.” He said February 21 is now observed as the International Mother Language Day around the globe,” he added.  Tarique Rahman added, “Language movement in 1952 intensified the path towards the country’s all democratic and self-determination struggles, ultimately leading to our national independence through a bloody war. The people were freed from shackles and regained a sovereign land.”  “Despite the country’s independence, authoritarian forces continue to conspire to impose their dominance over our language and culture, with an aim to serve a particular group, so that we cannot stand tall in the global community,” he said.  However, the people of this country have consistently resisted both the domestic and foreign conspiracies with unprecedented courage, he added. “To prevent the nation from being suppressed, we must work together to strengthen and sustain justice, human equality, and true democracy,” he said, adding, “The democratic forces, which believe in independence and sovereignty, must remain vigilant to ensure that none can ever imprison the democracy in harsh shackles.”  “The undying spirit of February 21 will inspire us in this endeavour,” he said. Now, with the recognition of February 21 as International Mother Language Day, the movement has been established globally as a symbol of preserving the dignity of the mother tongue, Tarique said, wishing success of various programmes being taken by different social, cultural, and political organizations marking the day.  Tarique Rahman prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls of the 1952 language martyrs and extended his condolences to the members of their bereaved families.

US President Donald Trump is locked in a legal battle to end the automatic right to citizenship for children who are born in the country even if their parents arrived illegally. Roughly a third of countries have a similar concept embedded in their laws but debate is raging in many places over the right, known as "jus soli" or "right of soil". - Widely used in the Americas - Trump signed an executive order shortly after he took up the presidency in January to redefine the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which decrees that anyone born on US soil is a citizen. The order has since been blocked by judges in lower district courts, and an appeals court upheld those rulings on Wednesday. Trump had claimed that the United States, where the right was in force for more than 150 years, was the only country in the world to give birthright citizenship. Yet on January 1, 2024 some 38 countries recognised the right of soil without imposing conditions, mainly on the American continent, according to data from the Global Citizenship Observatory at the European University Institute in Italy. Newborns in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Ecuador, also get citizenship in the country of their birth. The right of soil in those countries goes back to the 19th century when they were breaking free of colonial rule and wanted to attract European immigrants. "In the 19th century, the United States and emerging countries in Latin America had been emptied out by the massive decimation of the Amerindian population after the arrival of the Europeans in 1492," population expert Jean-Francois Mignot said. Awarding citizenship to the children of immigrants at birth also helped create a sense of loyalty, he said. Some countries in Latin America, like Colombia and the Dominican Republic, give the right of soil with exceptions linked to the place of residence of the parents. - Game changing Benin - In Africa, five countries have the right of soil -- Chad, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, and since 2022, Benin. Maarten Vink, director of the Global Citizenship Observatory, said African countries would often use the citizenship rules handed to them by former colonial powers. When Mozambique became independent from Portugal in 1975, Portuguese law on citizenship included an unconditional right of soil, which was then rolled back in 1981. An absolute right of soil is also on the statute books in Tuvalu, Moldova, Bangladesh, and India and Pakistan. In reality, Bangladesh and Pakistan do not apply the principle as systematically as other countries, Vink said. - 'Double' right - In total 33 countries, mainly in Western Europe and West Africa, apply a right of soil with conditions. Belgium, France and Spain operate a "double right of soil", meaning a child born in the country to foreign parents gets nationality if at least one of them has also been born there. In Belgium, the person must have been a resident for five of the past 10 years. In France, a child born to foreign parents can get nationality from the age of 13, though it is not automatic -- they must apply and they must have lived at least five years in the country.