Former chairman HBM Iqbal has reportedly threatened the current chairman and managing director (MD) of Premier Bank with death. In addition, he allegedly warned that the water and electricity connections of the bank’s head office could be cut off. The bank’s head office and Banani branch are located in Iqbal Centre, which is owned by HBM Iqbal. In response to these threats, the bank authorities have filed a general diary (GD) with Banani Police Station.

Meanwhile, Premier Bank is preparing to vacate Iqbal Centre. An expression of interest has already been called for in search of a new premises for the building. Bank officials are also looking for new locations for the head office in the Gulshan and Banani areas. In this context, Iqbal Centre in Banani has again come into the spotlight. Notably, there have been previous reports in multiple media outlets, including Prothom Alo, of bank officials being trapped in this building at different times.

Since the establishment of Premier Bank in 1999, HBM Iqbal, a former Awami League MP, served as its chairman. He resigned from the bank last August following the fall of the Awami League government. Subsequently, in August, Bangladesh Bank formed a new board for the bank. Since then, irregularities associated with HBM Iqbal’s tenure, including benami loans, purchases, rent issues, and other misconduct, have come to light.

Premier Bank Chairman Arifur Rahman told Prothom Alo, “I have returned to the bank after a long time. Since then, I have encountered various problems and obstacles while carrying out my work. I have received threats, but I continue to perform my duties. To reduce costs, the head office and several branches will be relocated.”

Details from the GD

The bank’s Additional Managing Director (AMD), Shahed Sekandar, filed a GD at Banani Police Station on 14 September on behalf of the bank. According to the GD, former chairman HBM Iqbal first called at 10:08 am on 12 September and spoke for 31 minutes, and then again at 10:47 pm on the same day for 2 minutes. During these calls, he demanded that the rent for Iqbal Centre and the Gulshan branch at Renaissance Hotel be paid by 5 pm on 14 September. He threatened that failure to comply would cause problems for the bank’s chairman, Arifur Rahman, and MD Mohammad Abu Jafar, and warned that MD Jafar’s house would be ‘vanished’. He also said that the bank’s water and electricity connections would be cut off and instructed officials to attend the office at their own risk, warning that any incident could occur at any time.

The GD further notes that on 13 September at 3:47 pm, HBM Iqbal called again and threatened the lives of the current chairman and MD if the rent was not paid by 15 September, advising staff to be prepared for any kind of violent incident.

Bank officials have stated that during his tenure, HBM Iqbal withdrew nearly Tk 20 billion in advance rent, leaving no possibility for regular monthly payments. Additionally, the rent charged for the premises was double the market rate. For these reasons, Premier Bank has already initiated the process to vacate all of his properties.

When contacted for comment on this matter, HBM Iqbal did not respond to phone calls.