Shamima Nasrin, a co-founder and former chairman of Evaly, has said she is hopeful of a fresh start and sought more time and support from customers and merchants to turn around.
She discussed the issues with them in a meeting organised by Evaly Fans Club, a Facebook group, on Saturday after she was released from prison in 33 cases filed by customers on charges of fraud, reports bdnews24.com.
Her husband and former Evaly managing director Mohammad Rassel is still behind bars.
The organisers of the virtual discussion said Shamima secured bail after negotiation with the plaintiffs in most cases. The Evaly Fans Club also launched a website after the arrest of Rassel and Shamima nearly eight months ago.
“We will try to free Rassel as soon as possible. We will try to start everything anew. A lot of time has been wasted, but it doesn’t mean we have lost [the battle]. We have the power to turn around,” Shamima said.
Referring to High Court orders on the firm’s operations, she said she does not have the authority to speak about its current condition.
Shamima said she would sit with the High Court-appointed board of Evaly to discuss its future. “Then we will understand what we are going to do with products or gateway or the cases.”
It was the first time Shamima spoke extensively about the firm. Before their arrest, Rassel discussed issues related to the firm on its Facebook page.
Evaly became popular among a section of customers with lucrative offers on home appliances, TV, refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, motorcycles and other products.
Many of them took up to 50 per cent discounts as an opportunity to do business by reselling the products. They invested in reselling products purchased from Evaly by borrowing hundreds of thousands of takas or selling land and golden ornaments.
Later, thousands of complaints were filed against Evaly for its failure to deliver products or refund the customers months after taking advance payments for delivery within 45 days.
As Evaly suspended trading after the arrest of Rassel and Shamima, the High Court appointed a board of directors to the firm.
Evaly’s liabilities ballooned to Tk 5.43 billion in July last year, according to the commerce ministry. It is not clear how much assets the company has.
The new board has found that Rassel and Shamima’s personal properties and Evaly’s assets were mixed up. It sold luxury cars bought by the firm for Rassel and his family to pay the expenses of operation.