A severe allegation of institutional misconduct, fraudulent practices, and prolonged harassment has been levelled against the multinational life insurance giant, MetLife Insurance. The company stands accused of unlawfully denying a legitimate policy claim to the designated beneficiary of a deceased customer in Bangladesh. Despite four years of administrative appeals, the grieving family remains deprived of a 4.4 million Bangladeshi taka (approximately £30,000) life cover payout. Instead, the insurer has allegedly resorted to duplicity by attempting to coerce the beneficiary into accepting a negligible refund of just 44,000 taka (approximately £300).
The details of the dispute were made public during a heavily attended press conference held at the Maulana Mohammad Akram Kha Hall within the National Press Club, Dhaka, on Sunday, 26 July. Addressing the media, Mst. Chumki Akter—a resident of Santahar in the Bogura district—presented a detailed account of the administrative resistance she encountered following the death of her father, the late Jalal Hossain.
A Disputed Policy and Deceptive Settlement Attempts
According to the formal statement read by Akter, her father had enrolled in a life insurance scheme managed by MetLife. In 2022, after faithfully submitting two monthly premium instalments of roughly 22,000 taka each, Hossain suffered an unexpected demise. As the registered nominee, Akter subsequently gathered and submitted all required documentation to the insurer in pursuit of the full 4.4 million taka benefit.
MetLife, however, formally rejected the application via a written notice, claiming that the policyholder had supplied inaccurate details during the initial enrolment phase, thereby voiding the contractual obligations. Akter strongly refuted the company’s justification, noting that her late father concurrently held life policies and savings arrangements with other financial providers, notably Guardian Life Insurance and the state-owned Sonali Bank. Both of these organisations disbursed the death benefits and accumulated funds swiftly and without procedural impediment.
Seeking legal redress, Akter retained legal counsel to issue a formal notice to MetLife. Upon visiting MetLife’s commercial office in Motijheel, Dhaka, she was met by an executive named Mr Ali. She alleges that this official actively discouraged her from taking judicial action, persuaded her to affix her signature to a 300-taka non-judicial stamp, and requested her newly established bank details under the pretense of facilitating the complete settlement.
Regulatory Inaction and Demands for Government Intervention
It was only after consulting her solicitor and reviewing the paperwork that Akter discovered the company had drafted documents designed to settle the matter solely by returning the paid premiums of 44,000 taka, rather than honouring the 4.4 million taka total policy value. When she confronted the official regarding this discrepancy, he reportedly informed her that no additional funds would be disbursed.
“I at no point agreed to receive a mere 44,000 taka,” Akter asserted before the press. “That figure represents nothing more than the basic premiums my father deposited. MetLife is slyly attempting to return a minimal sum whilst completely burying the substantial 4.4 million taka death claim.”
Akter further disclosed that when she protested against the maneuver, the MetLife representative refused to restore her father’s original policy documents, advised her to pursue legal remedies, and subsequently blocked the family’s contact numbers to prevent further inquiries.
Despite filing formal complaints with regulatory entities, including the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) of Bangladesh, the family has yet to receive administrative support or redress. The claimant and her family have called upon government authorities and regulatory inspectors to initiate a thorough and impartial enquiry into MetLife and the officials involved, demanding immediate intervention to secure the full financial entitlement.
