TDS Desk:

A fresh Bangladesh Bank investigation into recruitment at Shariah-based Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC has found widespread irregularities and flaws during the period when Chattogram-based S Alam Group controlled the bank.

After S Alam Group took control in 2017, 10,832 officers and employees were recruited, of whom 8,542 were appointed without any job notification or examination, according to the central bank’s investigation.

The majority of those recruited through notifications were from Chattogram, while the investigation also found various irregularities in their recruitment examinations.

Bangladesh Bank re-investigated the recruitment process following protests by sacked Islami Bank officials over dismissals and statements made in Parliament regarding the issue.

The new investigation found extensive irregularities in recruitment during S Alam Group’s tenure.

According to the report, when S Alam took control of Islami Bank in 2017, there were 66 bank officers in the Chattogram region. By the time the group lost control following the 2024 uprising, the number had risen to 8,099, a 122-fold increase.

Of the 8,033 officers recruited in the Chattogram region, 5,148 were appointed from Patiya upazila alone. This means an average of fewer than 10 officers were recruited from each of the remaining 502 upazilas.

The report said candidates for appointments without notifications or written examinations were gathered through CV collection boxes placed at the residence of S Alam Group chairman in Patiya and at his Asadganj office in Chattogram.

The boxes reportedly carried labels including “Patiya General”, “Patiya Cash”, “Male General-Satkania-Lohagara”, “Male Cash-Gandamara-Banshkhali”, “Sanatan-General”, “Female-Cash”, “Peon-Diploma”, “Male General” and “Male Cash”.

According to the report, current bank authorities said CVs were sent from these locations to the head office in boxes according to their preferences, after which appointment letters were issued from the head office based on the lists.

The investigation found no evidence of appointments without recruitment notifications and examinations between 2001 and 2017, before S Alam took control.

However, it found that 10 people were directly appointed in 2016 from the office of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina without notification or examination.

During the interim government, a special evaluation examination was organised for officers recruited during S Alam Group’s tenure.

Of the 5,373 officers included in the preliminary examination, only 402 took part, and all of them remain in service. Those who did not participate were dismissed.

The Bangladesh Bank report said that of the 4,684 officers dismissed for not taking the qualification evaluation examination, 4,514 had been appointed after only a viva, interview or oral examination.

Some of these candidates were not even interviewed, while viva marks were not preserved in some cases. They had only submitted CVs before subsequently receiving appointment letters.

The remaining 170 officers had been recruited through written and viva examinations.

Except for the 24th probationary officer batch and 12 related individuals, the rest were recruited through newspaper notifications followed by written and viva examinations.

During its inspection, Bangladesh Bank took written statements from 10 randomly selected people recruited between 2017 and 2024 to understand the recruitment process.

All 10 said they had submitted CVs and were appointed solely through vivas without written examinations. Two said they did not even sit for a viva.

Some of the 10 said they had submitted their CVs in boxes at the S Alam Group chairman’s residence in Sugandha Residential Area, Panchlaish, while others submitted them at the Asadganj office in Chattogram.

They also said in their statements that they sat for vivas at those locations and collected their joining letters there.

How S Alam legitimised recruitments

As of 31 August 2024, Islami Bank had 21,551 employees, of whom 10,832 had been recruited between 2017 and 31 August 2024.

During this period, 466 employees were recruited through lateral entry and 10,366 through direct entry. Of those directly recruited, 6,375 were placed on probation in entry-level posts, while the remaining 3,991 were recruited as sub-staff and RDS employees.

Under Islami Bank’s former human resources policy, recruitment to all posts was to be conducted through notices published in at least two national dailies, followed by written and oral examinations.

Candidates were required to secure at least 50% in both examinations, after which a merit-based panel would be formed, valid for no more than one year.

However, following the change in ownership in 2017, 8,542 of the 10,832 recruits, or nearly 79%, were appointed without advertisements in national dailies.

The then bank authorities justified the practice by citing Section 7.04 of Chapter 1 of the Human Resources Policy.

The provision allows the managing director and chief executive officer to relax recruitment formalities in cases of emergency to hire manpower at entry and lateral entry grades below two immediate levels of their designation, based on manpower requirements.

The Bangladesh Bank investigation, however, found that this provision conflicted with Section 7.01 of the same chapter.

The latter requires recruitment notices to be published in at least two national dailies, generally allowing applicants at least 15 days to apply.

The investigation noted that such provisions are generally intended for emergency recruitment to one or two positions or for technical roles through lateral entry to maintain normal bank operations.

At Islami Bank, however, the provision was used to appoint more than 6,000 employees to probationary entry-level posts, including probationary officer (PO), trainee assistant officer (TAO) and TAO-Cash positions, which the Bangladesh Bank investigation described as abnormal.

The investigation also found that the irregularities extended beyond entry-level officer recruitment.

Appointments to 28 posts, including managing director, deputy managing director, senior executive vice president, principal, executive vice president and senior vice president, were mostly made without recruitment notices.

Qualification criteria lowered in recruitment exams

The investigation also found major irregularities in recruitment for probationary officers.

For the 24th batch in 2019, 840 CVs were collected without any recruitment notice. Of the 763 candidates who sat for the written examination, only 36 secured the required 50% pass mark.

The criteria were subsequently relaxed, allowing 552 candidates who scored as little as 20% to sit for the oral examination.

Another 12 candidates were included directly without taking the written examination. All candidates recruited in this batch were from the Chattogram region.

For the 25th batch in 2021, the audit report found that oral examination marks were increased from 25 to 50 to facilitate the recruitment of 117 candidates from Chattogram. Of the 150 candidates ultimately appointed, 110, or 73%, were from Chattogram.

Irregularities in trainee officer recruitment

Between 2017 and 2024, 2,232 TAO (general) joined through recruitment processes without newspaper notices. Of them, 2,064 are no longer in service, including 260 who resigned and 1,674 who were dismissed.

During the same period, 2,828 TAO (cash) joined without newspaper notifications. Of them, 2,685 are no longer in service, including 132 who resigned and 2,498 who were dismissed.

A total of 501 trainee junior officers also joined without newspaper notifications during the period. Of them, 453 are no longer in service, while 48 remain employed. Of those still working, 31 took the skill evaluation test and 17 submitted mercy petitions citing leave or illness.

The investigation also found violations of the human resources policy in recruitment for posts including TAO (cash), TAO, messenger-cum-guard, RDS staff, security guard, trainee junior officer and officer.

No advertisements were published or written examinations held for recruitment to these posts, with the investigation finding that recruitment to various positions throughout the period was repeatedly conducted without these procedures.

Context of dismissals at Islami Bank

Following Bangladesh Bank and external audit reports, and a decision at the bank’s 364th Board meeting, Islami Bank decided to hold a special qualification evaluation exam for employees recruited during the S Alam Group tenure.

Two employees filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking to stop the examination, but the matter was settled through Bangladesh Bank. The central bank subsequently informed the bank that there was no bar to holding the examination.

Islami Bank then organised the examination through the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of Dhaka University on 27 September 2025.

A total of 5,373 people were initially included, but only 402 took part. All of them passed and remain in service.

A total of 4,972 officers did not take the examination, challenging the bank management’s decision.

The inspection report said some employees physically harassed, threatened and intimidated colleagues who came to sit for the examination, while employees collectively abstained from work.

The report also said demonstrations, human chains and press conferences were held against the bank, which it described as spreading false and misleading information and violating bank rules and policies.

On the Board’s advice, the bank subsequently decided to dismiss the employees who did not take the examination.

Although no charges were framed against them, they were terminated under Chapter 09, Section 1.02 of the bank’s Human Resources Policy after being paid three months’ salary.

Other dismissals and contractual terminations

Separately, five senior Islami Bank officials were sent on compulsory retirement, while 121 officers were dismissed following various allegations or disciplinary and punitive actions.

The bank also did not renew the contracts of 1,190 contractual officers and employees after their contracts expired. Of them, 154 were officers and 1,036 were employees, most of whom were temporary messenger-cum-guards.

According to the terms of their appointment letters, the bank authority had discretion to renew or terminate contractual employees based on its requirements.

Irregularities found in dismissals

The inspection also found inconsistencies in how the special qualification evaluation exam was applied.

A total of 261 officers recruited between 2017 and 2024 were exempted from the examination, while other officers with similar recruitment backgrounds were required to take it.

For example, the 23rd probationary officer batch was exempted, while the 26th batch was required to take the examination.

Both batches, however, were recruited through newspaper notifications, written examinations and oral examinations conducted by IBA of Dhaka University.

The report also identified the case of officer Roni Sheel, who was included in the evaluation examination despite being recruited through a newspaper notification, written examination and oral examination.

Other members of his batch were exempted, but Sheel was later dismissed for not taking the examination.

Six officers who had joined the bank before 2017 were also included in the evaluation examination.

What Bangladesh Bank and bank authorities say

Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan told that the central bank is conducting a special inspection into the dismissed Islami Bank officers.

“We will examine whether there were any irregularities regarding their joining the service or their dismissals. A decision will be taken in light of Bangladesh Bank’s full report,” he said.

Asked about an investigative report that had reached the Governor and contained findings of irregularities, the spokesperson said the matter was at the governor’s level, and that further information would emerge from the report.

Meanwhile, Islami Bank Additional Managing Director Kamal Uddin Jasim told that the employees had been called for the evaluation examination on Bangladesh Bank’s advice but did not participate.

“Subsequently, on the advice of the Board, they were dismissed. Even their dues were paid according to the Labour Law. Most of them have also withdrawn their four months’ money under the Labour Law,” he said.

“Now they have gone to court over this matter. In addition, Bangladesh Bank is investigating. I have no comment regarding Bangladesh Bank and court matters,” he added.

Source: TBS