Whether prosecuting the masterminds of the hallmark loan scam will help reduce corruption in the financial sector depends on the overall stance of the government. If loan scams continue one after another in the banking sector, one or two trials will not improve the situation. To top it all, the hearing of the Hallmark loan scam has just ended in the trial court. Until the appeal in the higher court is disposed of, it cannot be said that the criminals have got justice.
Speedy disposal of appeals is necessary to ensure speedy punishment of criminals. Although the government uses the Speedy Trial Act to settle political cases, it seems careless in this matter.
Although the Hall-mark scam is a sensational incident in the financial sector of Bangladesh, it is not the only incident. There were many such loan scams in the country before and after the Hallmark scam.
We can remember the incident of Abdul Hai Bachchu, former chairman of Basic Bank. Although billions of taka were misused during his tenure as chairman of the bank, no action has been taken against him yet.
