The High Court has rejected a writ petition filed by Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna seeking to have his name removed from the Bangladesh Bank’s list of loan defaulters, effectively barring him from contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections, state lawyers said.
The order was passed on Wednesday (December 24) by a High Court bench comprising Justice Md Bazlur Rahman and Justice Md Manjur Alam.
Senior advocate Ahsanul Karim and barrister Jyotirmoy Barua represented Manna, while Deputy Attorney General Shafiqur Rahman appeared on behalf of the state.
Speaking after the verdict, Deputy Attorney General Shafiqur Rahman said Manna had sought court directions to remove his name from the central bank’s defaulter list. “The court dismissed the writ petition. As a result, he is not eligible to take part in the parliamentary election,” he said.
Manna’s counsel, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, said they would challenge the High Court ruling. “We will file an appeal against the dismissal of the writ,” he said.
Earlier, on December 10, Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited’s Bogra Baragola branch issued a final recall notice to Afaku Cold Storage Limited, a company linked to Manna, demanding repayment of Tk 384.76 crore in defaulted loans. The notice instructed the borrowers to clear the dues by December 18, warning of legal action if they failed to comply.
According to bank documents, the notice was sent to the addresses of Mahmudur Rahman Manna and his two business partners. Afaku Cold Storage, located in Kichak Bazar of Shibganj upazila in Bogra, was initially sanctioned Tk 22 crore in investment in 2010.
Bank officials said the company failed to pay profits, service charges and penalties regularly, causing the outstanding amount to rise sharply despite the business remaining operational and profitable. The December 3 notice described the recall as a final warning after repeated attempts to recover the dues proved unsuccessful.
Ownership records show that Manna holds 50 percent of Afaku Cold Storage, while Managing Director ABM Nazmul Qadir Shajahan Chowdhury owns 25 percent, and director Ismat Ara Laiju, his wife, holds the remaining 25 percent.
Touhid Reza, head of Islami Bank’s Bogra Baragola branch, said no effective steps were taken to repay the loan despite repeated reminders. “Although the company is profitable, the loan was not repaid according to the agreement. That is why the recall notice was issued,” he said.
