In Chittagong, a court has issued a travel ban against the four sons of the former Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Nurul Islam BSc, in connection with a loan default case involving nearly 31 crore taka from Uttara Bank.
The order was issued on Monday, May 13, by Judge Mujahidur Rahman of the Chittagong Loan Court, confirmed by the court’s bench assistant Rezaul Karim. The individuals affected by the travel ban are Mujibur Rahman, Jahidul Islam, Kamrul Islam, and Wahidul Islam.
Mujibur Rahman serves as the managing director of Sanowara Dairy Foods Limited and Unilac Sanowara BD Limited, which are part of the Sanowara Group owned by the former minister. His brothers hold director positions within the same establishments.
According to the court documents, a loan of 20 crores 72 lakh 46 thousand 707 taka was taken from Uttara Bank in the name of the two companies, with Sanowara Dairy Foods Limited accounting for 17 crore 90 lakh 59 thousand 139 taka and Unilac Sanowara BD Limited for 2 crore 81 lakh 87 thousand 567 taka. The loan was sanctioned based on personal guarantees and trust receipts without any collateral secured against the bank.
The total amount due with interest was initially marked at 22 crores 40 lakh 9 thousand 824 taka. Despite the bank offering a rescheduling opportunity, failure to repay led to additional interest charges, bringing the total claim by the bank as of October 31, 2023, to 30 crores 53 lakh 50 thousand 449 taka, and 39 paisa.
Following continued non-payment, a lawsuit was filed on November 6, 2023, by ASM Foyzul Alam Chowdhury, Principal Officer at Uttara Bank’s Agrabad branch, naming the two companies and Nurul Islam BSc, his wife Sanowara Begum, and their five sons as defendants.
On May 2, the bank petitioned the court to seize the passports of the defendants and prohibit them from leaving the country, noting that apart from one, none had appeared in court since the case was filed. The court has instructed the Special Police Superintendent of the Immigration branch to take necessary measures to enforce the travel ban.
Nurul Islam BSc is a notable industrialist and political figure, currently serving as the Vice-President of Chittagong City Awami League. He was elected as a Member of Parliament from Chittagong-9 constituency in 2008 but was not nominated in the following term, although he was appointed as a minister from the technocrat quota. After his ministerial tenure, he has been inactive in politics. His son Mujibur Rahman, a former member of the central sub-committee of Awami League, has unsuccessfully sought nomination for parliamentary elections multiple times.
