Sonali Bank PLC authorities have withdrawn the Taka 45-crore loan default case against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, the party's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and 14 others over alleged default by Dandy Dyeing Limited. Confirming the matter to BSS, Khaleda Zia's lawyer Mostaq Ahmed Koel said Dhaka Money Loan Court-1 passed the order on November 11, allowing a plea of the Sonali Bank authorities.
Sonali Bank panel lawyer Advocate Jahangir Hossain said the case was withdrawn after the company cleared its dues with the bank. "We submitted a petition seeking withdrawal of the case after full repayment. The court granted the petition," he said.
According to the case documents, on October 2, 2013, Sonali Bank's senior executive officer Nazrul Islam filed the money loan recovery case with Dhaka's 1st Money Loan Court, accusing Dandy Dyeing Ltd of defaulting on Taka 45, 59, 37,295.
After the death of co-accused Arafat Rahman Koko, the bank on March 8, 2015, sought inclusion of his mother, Khaleda Zia; wife, Sharmila Rahman; and daughters, Jafia and Zahia, as defendants under Islamic inheritance rules. The court granted the plea on March 16, 2015.
On February 22, 2016, the court framed issues against all 16 defendants, including Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman. The defendants were Dandy Dyeing Ltd, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Sharmila Rahman, Jafia Rahman, Zahia Rahman, Shams Eskander, Safin Eskander, Sumaiya Eskander, Begum Nasrin Ahmed, Giasuddin Al Mamun, his wife Shahina Yasmin, Kazi Galib Ahmed, Shamsun Nahar and Masud Hasan.
