Former Janata Bank Chairman Abul Barkat Remains Incarcerated Despite Securing Bail in Corruption Case
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Prominent economist and former Janata Bank chairman Professor Abul Barkat was granted bail by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), yet he remains behind bars. Family members reported that prison authorities have refused his release, citing a separate, long-standing explosives case filed at the New Market Police Station under which he has been newly arrested.
The economist’s daughter, Orni Barkat, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Dhaka, stated that she arrived at the Dhaka Central Jail around 2:00 p.m. with the necessary bail documentation. After waiting for eight hours, the family was informed late in the evening that the professor would not be released due to the pending explosives charge. Orni Barkat expressed deep concern regarding her father’s deteriorating health while in custody and reiterated the family’s demand for justice.
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The legal status of the new arrest remains unclear. Sheikh Jahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of the Ramna Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, stated he had no information regarding the explosives case involving the professor. Efforts to reach the senior jail superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail for clarification were unsuccessful as of Sunday night.
Professor Barkat, a former chairman of the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka and past president of the Bangladesh Economic Association, served as the chairman of Janata Bank during the tenure of the previous Awami League administration. He has been incarcerated since his initial arrest on July 10 of last year in the Dhanmondi area. The ACC had filed the corruption case on February 20, 2023, accusing Barkat and 22 others of misappropriating 297 crore taka in loans granted to the AnonTex Group.
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