Former Janata Bank Chairman Dr. Abul Barkat arrested in corruption case

Former Janata Bank Chairman and renowned professor of the Department of Economics at Dhaka University Dr. Abul Barkat has been arrested in a corruption case. A special team of Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) police arrested him from the capital's Dhanmondi area around 11:30 pm on Thursday (July 10).

DMP Joint Commissioner (DB-South) Mohammad Nasirul Islam confirmed the arrest. He said, "A team of DB police arrested Professor Barkat based on a request for a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The case is currently under investigation. This arrest was made by following the legal process after verifying the primary information and data."

He added that after the arrest, Professor Barkat will be handed over to the ACC custody on Friday (July 11). However, the nature, section or details of the charges in the case have not yet been disclosed by the DB or the ACC. At the same time, there is no confirmed information about where he has been kept and which police station he has been shown to.

Meanwhile, the news of this arrest has created a huge sensation in the country's financial and administrative arena. Many experts see it as an important step towards establishing accountability and transparency in the banking sector. However, another party is also calling for an investigation into the political or vindictive aspects of this arrest.

Professor Dr. Abul Barkat is a renowned economist in Bangladesh. He was born on September 27, 1954 in Kushtia city. He passed his SSC from Kushtia District School in 1970 and his HSC from Kushtia Government College in 1973. After that, he went to the then Soviet Union on a merit scholarship from the Bangladesh government.

There, he obtained an MSc in Economics from the Moscow Institute of National Economy (known as the Plekhanov Institute) and later a PhD in Political Economy of Development. He directly participated in the Great Liberation War of 1971 with armed training.

Professor Barkat has authored numerous research papers and books in his long academic and research career. He was also involved in social development work and played an important role in the banking sector during his tenure as Chairman of Janata Bank.

As of the time of writing this report, no official statement has been issued by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) or any other agency regarding the case.