AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, a presidium member of the Awami League (AL), and his business partner Shamsuzzaman Awal, a director of FBCCI, have close business ties with Nabil Group. This 'controversial conglomarate' is involved in a loan scam worth thousands of bilions of taka from Islami Bank.

Investigations by The Mirror Asia revealed that Nabil Group became reckless under the protection of this influential ruling party leader of Bangladesh, who is also the mayor of the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC).

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has written to Bangladesh Bank (BB) and Islami Bank (IBBL) seeking information on 11 companies of Nabil Group to investigate a loan fraud incident on July 7. The requested data must be provided within seven working days of receiving the letter.

According to The Mirror Asia’s investigation, Khairuzzaman Liton was a driving force behind the large loans Nabil Group illegally took from three branches of Islami Bank in the Rajshahi region without necessary documents and sufficient property mortgages. A portion of the disbursed money also went to the Liton-Awal duo's pockets.

Liton-Awal's business relationship with Nabil Group first came to light in 2021. In that year, a pond of 218 Katha located in the Lakshipur area of Rajshahi city was filled using city corporation vehicles. The class of the pond was changed in 2022. At that time, it was revealed that the Liton-Awal duo had entered into an agreement with Nabil Group to establish a private medical college and hospital on this land.

A former top leader of Rajshahi District AL, who is currently known to be close to Khairuzzaman Liton, said on condition of anonymity that they have known about Mayor Liton's closeness with Nabil Group Managing Director and CEO Aminul Islam Swapan for a long time. However, they are unsure whether they have a business relationship. This leader claimed that Aminul Islam Swapan provided huge financial support to include Khairuzzaman Liton as a presidium member of the party and to keep him active in central politics. In return, Mayor Liton provided all kinds of political and administrative support to Nabil Group.

A former director of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) said that Nabil Group has been controlling RCCI from behind for the past 5 years. Requesting anonymity, the former director said, Shamsuzzaman Awal and Aminul Islam Swapan have become important players here due to Khairuzzaman Liton's influence. Mr. Swapan's wife Ishrat Jahan was also made director of RCCI by Khairuzzaman Liton as the director of Nabil Group.

Free with Public Property

Information about Nabil Group's loan fraud from Islami Bank first came to light in 2022 when a Dhaka-based newspaper published a report titled 'Islami Bank's Terrible November'. Later, it was revealed that a huge amount of loan was disbursed to non-existent companies under the umbrella of Nabil Group.

Sultan Associates is one of them. The owner of the so-called company is Sultan Ahmed, who took a loan of Tk 380 crore from Islami Bank. A newly constructed building on Station Road in Rajshahi has been shown as the address of the office of this institution, which is said to have received the loan. Sultan Ahmed is intimate with Shamsuzzaman Awal. He actually worked as the manager of a motorcycle shop. His loan was disbursed from the New Market branch of IBBL.

Roknuzzaman Mithu, the owner of Zaman Syndicate, was given a loan from the Pabna District Headquarters branch. According to the bank, Zaman Syndicate's office at Islampur in Hemayetpur Upazila of Pabna district has been opened only at night several times after being rented out. The manager of the Pabna branch of Islami Bank asked how a loan of Tk 950 crore was given in the name of an office assistant of Nabil Group.

Shajahan Ali, an accountant in Nabil Group in Rajshahi, took a loan of Tk 900 crore for a company named SS Straightline. The house of the owner of about a thousand crore Taka is in Nowhata Union of Rajshahi. He has no business at all. Apart from this, Raihanul Islam, an employee of Nabil Group, owner of an organization named N&N Trade, took a loan of Tk 50 crore. Nameplates of two other subsidiaries of Nabil Group can also be seen at the address given by the so-called company in the loan proposal.

Jamaat-AL Ties

The close relationship of Aminul Islam Swapan of Nabil Group with Khairuzzaman Liton and Shamsuzzaman Awal brings out a terrible picture of the collusion of AL leaders with Jamaat-e-Islami. Haji Janbox of Tekatapara village of Paba Upazila of Rajshahi has been a member of Jamaat-e-Islami for a long time.

He had a rice mill in the neighboring village Bherapara. Traditional period Shallow engines, small hollers, and belt-driven rice mills were known in the area as 'Jamatis meeting room'. The education of Aminul Islam Swapan, son of Haji Janbox, began at Daokandi High School, one and a half kilometers away from the house. From the secondary level, he was involved with the Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat in that school.

Aminul Islam Swapan of Nabil Group has a close relationship with Khairuzzaman Liton and Shamsuzzaman Awal, highlighting the collusion between AL leaders and Jamaat-e-Islami. Haji Janbox from Tekatapara village in Paba Upazila, Rajshahi, a long-time Jamaat-e-Islami member, owned a rice mill in Bherapara. His rice mill, using traditional shallow engines, small hullers, and belt-driven mechanisms, was known as the 'Jamatis meeting room'.

Aminul Islam Swapan, Haji Janbox’s son, started his education at Daokandi High School, 1.5 kilometers from his home. During his secondary education, he became involved with the Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat. After passing his SSC in 1996, he became an important local organizer for ICS. In 1999, Swapan enrolled at Narkelbaria Agricultural College, known for its Jamaat-Shibir dominance, and continued his ICS activities. The college merged with the University of Rajshahi (RU) in 2001, where Swapan resided in ICS-controlled Shahid Shamsujjoha Hall and was a director at ICS-run Contest Coaching Center.

After graduating from RU in the 2003-04 academic year, Swapan pursued post-graduate studies in Soil Science at Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU), Mymensingh. There, he met Prof. Abu Jofar Mosleh Uddin and was introduced to Meer Qashim Ali, a Jamaat leader executed for war crimes in 1971.

Returning to Rajshahi in 2006, Swapan started a business with a Syngenta pesticide dealership. In 2007, he began working with Jamaat’s Agro Industrial Trust (AIT), established in 1988 with funding from Meer Qashim Ali. In 2008, Swapan launched Shimul Enterprises, securing a 5 lakh taka loan from IBBL Rajshahi branch.

With the AL government changing the management of Islami Bank, Swapan sought to align himself with ruling party bureaucrats and leaders to navigate local pressures. He forged a relationship with the Paba Upazila administration, notably with Alamgir Kabir, then UNO of the upazila and now Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping. Kabir and Swapan became close, and as Kabir advanced to ADC (Revenue) of Rajshahi, Swapan expanded his business through these connections. Kabir’s link to Mayor Liton facilitated Swapan’s relationship with AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, resulting in Jamaat-AL business collaborations.

A top official’s son from Islami Bank secured a high-paying job at Nabil Group in Dhaka, and in 2021, Munirul Mawla, the officer, became MD and CEO of the bank. This solidified the Liton-Awal-Swapan trio's position.

The ACC inquiry, led by deputy director Yasir Arafat, revealed embezzlement of Tk 3,300 crore through loans to fake companies, 11 of which are linked to Nabil Group. The ACC sought information on these companies from Islami Bank’s branches in Dhaka, Rajshahi, New Market, and Pabna. The implicated Nabil Group companies include Nabil Naba Foods Limited, Nabil Cold Storage, Nabil Feed Mills Limited, Nabil Auto Rice Mills, Nabil Auto Flour Mills, Shimul Enterprises, Naba Agro Trade International, Anwara Trade International, Naba Pharma Limited, Nabil Green Crops Limited, and International Product Palace.

The ACC first requested documents from the BB in November 2023, but the central bank responded in January, stating the ongoing inspection would delay the report’s completion.