Staff Reporter:
Despite the fall of the Awami League government, Kazi Md. Wahidul Islam, Vice President of Bangabandhu Parishad and Managing Director (MD) of state-owned Rupali Bank PLC, continues to hold his position. He has also been named as an accused in a case related to the July violence, filed in March 2025.
According to case documents, prominent figures including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and Asaduzzaman Khan are among the accused, while Kazi Md. Wahidul Islam appears as the 45th accused in the case.
Fresh allegations have emerged against the Rupali Bank MD, accusing him of abusing his authority and transferring officials who speak out against alleged corruption and irregularities within the bank.
Sources claim that shortly after a memorandum was submitted to the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister demanding Wahidul Islam’s removal over allegations of corruption, administrative discrimination, and financial irregularities, three officials were transferred outside Dhaka.
The transferred officials are Assistant General Manager Md. Golam Sarwar, who was posted to Faridpur; Assistant General Manager A.S.M. Niaz Morshed, transferred to Mymensingh; and Assistant General Manager Monjur Morshed Chowdhury, transferred to Cumilla. All three are reportedly senior leaders of the Rupali Bank chapter of Zia Parishad.
The officials allege that the transfer orders were issued in retaliation for submitting the memorandum and for subsequent media coverage highlighting the allegations against the bank’s management. While 11 officials were included in the transfer order, only these three were instructed to join their new workplaces immediately, whereas others were granted release dates up to June 18.
At the same time, Assistant General Manager Mir Abu Naser Joy was transferred to the bank’s Motijheel Corporate Branch in Dhaka. Critics allege that Joy is affiliated with the pro-Awami League organization Swadhinata Bankers Parishad and that the transfer was intended to strengthen the MD’s political network within the bank.
On June 4, leaders of Rupali Bank Zia Parishad submitted a memorandum to the Finance Minister accusing Wahidul Islam of political bias, intimidation of anti-fascist officials, administrative irregularities, and corruption. The organization demanded his immediate removal from office.
The memorandum alleged that poor management, inefficiency, and corruption under the current administration have caused the bank losses amounting to approximately Tk 600 crore. It also accused the management of misusing funds allocated for the Rupali Bank Training Academy and sports activities, making politically motivated promotions and appointments, and harassing officials who opposed the former Awami League government.
According to the memorandum, officials associated with anti-fascist movements and BNP-aligned ideologies have faced transfers, denial of promotions, and various forms of intimidation since Wahidul Islam assumed office.
The organization has called for the immediate removal of the MD and sought intervention from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and the Ministry of Finance. Other demands include restructuring the bank administration, eliminating what they describe as “fascist influence” from the banking sector, and ensuring fair appointments for officials who participated in anti-fascist movements.
In a separate complaint submitted to the Prime Minister on May 16, Zia Parishad leaders alleged that Rupali Bank’s current management has continued a culture of irregular recruitment, politically motivated promotions, and administrative misconduct dating back to previous administrations.
The complaint further claimed that Wahidul Islam, who joined as MD in December 2024, had previously served as a senior vice president of Bangabandhu Engineers Parishad’s Rupali Bank chapter. It alleged that he has been named in a July violence-related case and faces various allegations of financial misconduct.
The complainants also accused the management of violating the bank’s approved organizational structure by promoting approximately 1,620 employees in a single year—three times the number allocated for 2025 under the approved promotion framework. They argued that such actions could deprive eligible employees of promotion opportunities in 2026 and 2027 and weaken the bank’s organizational structure.
Additional allegations include irregular recruitment practices between 2010 and 2019, missing recruitment records, questionable academic credentials of some recruits, and favoritism within the bank’s administration and human resources divisions.
The complainants have called for an independent investigation by Bangladesh Bank, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), and other relevant agencies to uncover the truth behind the allegations.
Attempts to contact Rupali Bank Managing Director Kazi Md. Wahidul Islam for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls made to his personal phone number. Therefore, his response to the allegations could not be obtained.
