On the second day of reopening following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, six top officials, including Deputy Governor Kazi Sayedur Rahman, resigned from the Bangladesh Bank on August 7. They were compelled to step down amid outrage from their colleagues.
It was reported that Kazi Sayedur Rahman tendered his resignation to Executive Director 1 on Wednesday morning.
Eyewitnesses disclosed that 4 deputy governors and the head of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) left the central bank under pressure from protesting officials. Military personnel were seen providing them security during this time.
Witnesses further revealed that protestors initially entered Deputy Governor Kazi Sayedur Rahman’s office and pressured him to resign. He wrote his resignation on a blank sheet of paper and signed it before leaving the bank.
The officials similarly obtained the resignation of Deputy Governor Nurun Nahar. The other two deputy governors, Md. Khurshid Alam and Md. Habibur Rahman, were not present at the office. When contacted by phone, they indicated they would not be returning to the office. Likewise, central bank adviser Abu Farah Md. Naser and BFIU’s Masud Biswas also stated they would not return to the bank.
It was noted that Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder was not in the office during these events.
Earlier, at 10 AM on Wednesday, several hundred bank officials gathered in front of the 30-story central bank building, demanding the resignation of the governor and four deputy governors, accusing them of aiding in the looting of the banking sector.
The protestors insisted that the mentioned officials must resign by the end of the day. They also demanded the resignation of two contractual policy advisors and the head of the BFIU, Masud Biswas.
It was noted that all four deputy governors arrived at the office at the scheduled time but were met with strong protests.
The protestors’ slogans included demands for the resignation of Deputy Governor Sayedur Rahman for allegedly assisting in the reserve theft and calling for the resignation of deputy governors who facilitated the plundering of the country’s funds.
Reports indicated that on Tuesday (August 6), several officials wrote on social media about the central bank’s top officials’ irregularities. In response, Deputy Governor Sayedur Rahman summoned them and threatened to terminate their employment.
In a press conference, the deputy governors stated, “Previously, we were bound by circumstances. We cannot avoid responsibility for the country’s deteriorating economic situation.” However, they expressed hope that the economy would recover with the formation of a new government.
