Dhaka, Nov. 29 -- The big loan defaulters who have brought Bangladesh's banking sector to its present precarious state are a big problem for its economy, Yet they have consistently received government's patronage. In most cases, the loan defaulters are the core people of the Awami League and the government. Though they have devastated the economy for more than a decade neither Bangladesh Bank nor the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) ever tried to bring them to book.

These offenders have always remained beyond the periphery of law, and the High Court on Sunday appreciably asked the ACC - its lawyer Khurshid Alam in particular - why the anti-corruption watchdog dilly-dallied to bring the defaulters to face justice. The HC bench of Justice ...