Bangladesh Bank Report Reveals Wide Irregularities in Islami Bank Hiring
A Bangladesh Bank investigation has uncovered major irregularities at Islami Bank. The report states 8,542 officers and employees were hired. No proper job advertisements or examinations were held. These hirings occurred while the S Alam Group managed Islami Bank from 2017.
Candidates submitted resumes in special boxes. These boxes were kept at the Patiya home and Asadganj business office of S. Alam. He is the group’s chairman. Most applicants did not face competitive written or oral tests.
The report shows a strong regional bias. From 2017 to August 2024, nearly 75 percent of new recruits, 8,099 people, were from Chattogram district. Almost 48 percent, 5,148 recruits, came from Patiya. This is S. Alam’s home area. These hirings raised the bank’s salary costs. They also created a regional imbalance.
S Alam Group lost control of Islami Bank after the public uprising on August 5, 2024. An interim government then dismissed many irregularly hired officials. These dismissed officials are now protesting. They demand their jobs back.
Bangladesh Bank formed a committee to examine these actions. The committee found Islami Bank’s human resources policy was violated. A special rule added in 2017 allowed “special relaxation during emergencies.” This rule was used to hire staff without advertising jobs. Irregular hirings included top positions like Managing Director.
Problems also occurred in hiring probationary officers in 2019. No advertisement was issued for that batch. The required pass mark for exams was lowered from 50 percent to 20 percent. This change helped candidates from the Chattogram region. Many selected people were from Chattogram. Some were appointed to First Security Islami Bank, where S. Alam was also chairman.
A new board took over Islami Bank in August 2024. It arranged a “Special Competency Evaluation Test” through IBA. This test, set for September 27, 2025, aimed to re-check officer skills. Only 402 of 5,373 invited officials took the test; all passed. However, 4,972 officials abstained and were dismissed. They received three months’ salary.
Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said the bank will take action if needed. He noted the bank itself managed these hirings and dismissals.
