The court has issued arrest warrants against a total of 25 people, including former Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman, in a case filed against Anontex Group for embezzling Tk 531 crore. The order was given on January 19, 2026, in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge and Senior Special Judge Judge Md. Sabbir Faiz. The court ordered the issuance of the arrest warrant after taking into account the charge sheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
ACC Public Prosecutor Mohammad Tariqul Islam said that the warrants have been issued against 25 people in light of the chargesheet filed against a total of 26 people, including economist Dr. Abul Barkat. The court also set March 4, 2026, as the date for submitting the arrest warrant report.
According to the case file, it has been alleged that around 531 crore 44 lakh taka was embezzled from Janata Bank under the guise of loans in the name of 22 companies belonging to the Anontex Group. The amount of this money, including interest, stands at around 1,130 crore 19 lakh taka. The complaint states that there were widespread irregularities in the process of approving and disbursing this loan when Dr. Atiur Rahman was the governor. The accused include former governor Dr. Atiur Rahman, former deputy governor, some former high-ranking officials of Janata Bank and Anontex Group Chairman Yunus Badal and other people related to the group.
It is worth noting that a travel ban was previously issued against 23 people, including Atiur Rahman and Abul Barkat, in another case of embezzlement of Tk 297 crore in the name of the same group. Dr. Abul Barkat is in prison in the current case.
The incident is seen as a significant step in the ACC’s tough stance against long-standing money laundering and corruption in Bangladesh’s banking sector. However, no official response has been received from the accused so far.
