Jumbangla Desk: After deregulation of the controversial business group S Alam from Social Islami Bank, at least 600 assistant officers appointed during their tenure have been fired. The new board took this decision after taking charge of the bank. This information is known from bank sources.

It is known that the bank has a total of 4,750 employees.

Among them, Chittagong has about two thousand people. All of them were appointed without examination. So far 579 people have been found to have been appointed without examination. Among them, 570 people were recruited this year, and another 9 last year.

Bank officials said that no notification has been given regarding the appointment of these 579 people. Recruitment test was not conducted. They have been appointed without verification of credentials. As they were not appointed as per the rules, the bank dismissed them.

Chairman of SIBL. Sadiqul Islam said, 'This is an ongoing process. We are doing everything within the rules. We are working to ensure that there are no more irregularities here. Action has been taken against those involved in wrongdoing.'

Chittagong-based S Alam Group took control of Social Islami Bank in a special meeting held at the Westin Hotel in the capital on October 30, 2017.

On the previous night, the then Chairman, Managing Director (MD) and Company Secretary of the bank were picked up by the Defense Intelligence Agency. After taking over the bank, Anwarul Azim Arif, the former vice-chancellor of Chittagong University, was made the chairman. Belal Ahmed was the chairman of the bank before the dissolution of the board. He is the son-in-law of S Alam Group Chairman Saiful Alam.

During the change of ownership of SIBL, the S Alam Group dropped some entrepreneurs and directors. They then withdrew large sums of money anonymously from the bank, due to which the bank is already in financial crisis and the current account maintained with the central bank is also in deficit. It is alleged that the residents of Chittagong's Patiya are given priority in the recruitment of staff in this bank.

Meanwhile, after the political change, on August 11, some shareholders of the bank made a human chain to free Social Islami Bank from the hands of S Alam Group. Later, in a press conference, they alleged that the owner of S Alam Group, Saiful Alam and his associates have cheated the depositors of thousands of crores of taka.

Not only SIBL but the entire financial sector is under threat. Ordinary depositors are unable to withdraw their deposits as required. In such a situation, on August 26, Bangladesh Bank dissolved the previous board and appointed a new director.-Kaler Kanth