Matiur Rahman removed from NBR post; to be removed from Sonali Bank director post
He has been attached to the Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the Finance Ministry. Matiur has been given no specific designation in his new role, effectively making him an Officer on Special Duty (OSD)
National Board of Revenue (NBR) Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal President Matiur Rahman, also a member of the board, has been removed from his post.
He has been attached to the Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the Finance Ministry, according to a ministry notification issued today (23 June). It said the decision will be effective immediately.
He will also be removed from the state-owned Sonali Bank PLC's director post, Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui, chairperson of Sonali Bank, told reporters after a board meeting today (23 June).
Matiur has been given no specific designation in his new role, effectively making him an Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
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This marks the first time in history that an NBR tribunal president has been removed from their position.
Earlier today, Matiur was asked not to attend a meeting of the bank's board, sources from the Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance and Sonali Bank said.
A high official of the bank confirmed that Matiur Rahman did not attend the meeting today.
Sonali Bank officials, seeking anonymity, confirmed that Matiur Rahman had been asked not to attend the upcoming meeting, which began at 11:00am today.
Sources had indicated that the Financial Institutions Division verbally informed Sonali Bank that Matiur should not attend the board meeting.
Consequently, the bank advised Matiur to abstain from attending, and he has complied.
However, the Financial Institutions Division informed TBS that the final decision regarding Rahman's removal has not been made yet, as the finance minister is currently in Vienna. He will return on 27 June, and until then, Rahman will retain his position.
On 4 June, the Anti-Corruption Commission started an inquiry against Rahman over allegations of amassing illegal wealth and money laundering.
The allegations against him surfaced after a video of Rahman's son, Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, buying a goat for Tk 15 lakh went viral before Eid-ul-Adha.
This recent scandal has brought significant attention to Rahman's family's lavish lifestyle and raised questions about his suitability for the directorship at Sonali Bank.
