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Professor Abul Barkat | UNB Photo

A team from the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained Professor Abul Barkat, an economist and former chairman of Janata Bank, late on Thursday night in the Dhanmondi area of the capital.

A senior officer from the Detective Branch confirmed that Professor Barkat was wanted in connection with a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).


He was detained at approximately 11:45pm and taken to the DB headquarters for questioning.

In February this year, the ACC filed a case against 23 individuals, including former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman, former Janata Bank chairman Professor Abul Barkat, and AnonTex Group chairman Md Yunus Badal, accusing them of embezzling Tk 297 crore.

Professor Barkat, who also previously served as chairman of the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka, was appointed chairman of Janata Bank in 2009 and held the position until 2014 during the tenure of the now-ousted Awami League government.

In March, a court imposed a travel ban on Professor Barkat and several others implicated in the ACC’s case.

Professor Barkat currently serves as the honorary chief adviser of the Human Development Research Centre (HDRC), a research institution.

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