Minister for Finance AMA Muhith yesterday criticized the businessman and industrialists saying that they always speak for reducing bank loan interest rate for betterment of investment but the same persons do not want to reduce this debt rate when they act as bank directors.
“It is necessary to stop the contradiction. Understanding between industrialists and bank directors is necessary to reduce interest rate of bank loan,” he said while replying to a question from Awami League lawmaker AKM Jahangir.
The Minister said the government cannot reduce the interest rate of bank loan to single digit as all parties expect good returns.
“It has become a culture to deposit money on high interest rate” he said.
Muhith said the interest rate should be equal to influence rate which is now 6:5. An understanding among the businessmen and industrialists is needed to reduce the interest rate” he said.
The finance minister also noted that businessmen and industrialists should limit their greedy to make profit.
He denied giving reply to two questions—one from an independent MP and another from Jatiya Party MP—who wanted to know what action the government have taken against looting of thousands of crores of money from different state banks including Basic in the name of giving loans.
In reply, Muhith said supplementary queries of the two MPs were not relevant with the original star marked questions.
He also said there is a star marked question on this issue in which he stated about this.
But this correspondent did not find any such question or answer in the yesterday’s business schedule.
Replying to another query, Muhith informed the House that the “pay and service commission-2013” is to submit its report before the government by December 15.
“The government will implement the pay scale as early as possible after getting the commission’s report,” the minister said in a scripted reply.
On the query that how much money has been laundered in legal and illegal way from the country in the last 10 years, Muhith replied that the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit does not have any information on that which works to stop money laundering from the country.
“Process is going on to sign memorandum of understanding with different countries to this end. Possibility to get information on money laundering will be created once memorandums of understanding are being signed,” he added.
Replying another query, Muhith said the amount of unpaid bank loan taken by Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko, two sons of BNP chief Khaleda Zia is Tk 40.14 crore.
Muhith added that they took the loan on behalf of their business organization—Dandy Dying’s name from Sonali Bank.
According to the government database as of September 2014 they yet to repay the loan.
There were no other details about this in the scripted reply.
Replying to another question from ruling party MP Kamal Ahmed Majumder he told the House that about two-third of the foreign assistance committed by different countries and development agencies were not disbursed during the last three years.
Record shows USD 5488.08 were committee during the last three years from 2011-2012 of them USD 2648.71 was disbursed.
Responding to another question the Minister said the government has no information as to how much money was plundered.
The government has been working on it he added – Staff Reporter
