Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman warned on Wednesday that the opposition party is ready to take to the streets with the general people to prevent a "government-backed takeover" of the country's largest lender, Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC.
The BNP government is trying to take over the bank by appointing "corrupt officials" from the Awami League fascist era, Shafiqur alleged at a post-Eid party get-together ceremony hosted in Mirpur in the capital.
He claimed that Islami Bank does not belong to any singly political party or group; rather it belongs to its depositors and the general people. Attempts to politicise or coerce the bank into a party's control would backfire, he warned.
He said that the corrupt bankers appointed during Awami League regime facilitated the looting of Tk34,000 crore from Islami Bank.
To this end, the Jamaat leader cautioned that the new government is trying to harm the banking sector through similar "fascist tactics."
Renewed damages to Islami Bank would severely harm the national economy, Shafiqur further warned, pledging to resist any such "destabilising attempts."
He urged the government to avoid trying to take over the bank, and rather focus on ensuring stability in the banking sector. Shafiqur also criticised the Bangladesh Bank governor for appointing a controversial person as the new chairman of Islami Bank.
On Wednesday, protesters claiming to be general depositors and clients of Islami Bank continued their street demonstrations near the bank's head office in Motijheel. They demanded the cancellation of Khurshid's appointment due to the long-standing allegations of corruption against him.
On 1 June, the protesters had clashed with police, when officers tried to evict them from the area. They were occupying the front road of Islami Bank head office to prevent Khurshid from starting his first day in office.
Notably, the newly appointed Khurshid Alam served as a deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank during the Awami League regime. Following the regime's ouster on 5 August 2024, he was forced out of his position due to his alleged controversial ties to the now banned Awami League and its corrupt activities.
Recently, the Bangladesh Bank Governor Mostaqur Rahman appointed Khurshid Alam as the new chairman of Islami Bank, removing Zubaidur Rahman. Mostaqur is himself the first businessman to serve as the central bank governor, and was also a member of the ruling BNP's election steering committee.
Following Khurshid's appointment, news broke out that a company, Agrocrop Limited, co-owned by his wife, Afroza Akter, had defaulted on nearly Tk3.60 crore loan taken from two banks.
On Tuesday, when asked by reporters, Bangladesh Bank Spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan confirmed the default loan, but said it does not impact Khurshid's personal credit status, nor his new position as a bank chairman.
Khurshid's wife and not himself is involved in the loan default, Arif Hossain Khan told reporters.
During the interim government, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also launched an investigation into allegations that Khurshid embezzled Tk54 lakh while serving as the general manager of BB's Rangpur zonal office in 2017.
In February 2018, the Bangladesh Bank head office confirmed the allegations as true but imposed minimal penalties: halt on two annual salary increments.
When asked about the Tk54 lakh embezzlement, Arif Hossain Khan said the information presented to implicate Khurshid in 2017 was "incorrect" and so was the penalty. Due to his innocence, he was later appointed as executive director and deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank under the Awami League regime, the spokesperson said.