Staff reporter:
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has directed
banks and financial institutions to freeze the bank accounts of 204 individuals and entities as part of an investigation into alleged financing of recent unrest in the country’s readymade garment (RMG) sector.
The directive was issued to banks and financial institutions yesterday(Thursday), a senior NBR official confirmed to Media.
The official said the move followed information provided by several government agencies. Based on the information, the relevant individuals and entities have been identified for freezing their bank accounts. The NBR has also sought details of bank transactions involving a large number of entities.
He said bank accounts belonging to family members of the 204 individuals and entities could also come under the directive, meaning the total number of accounts to be frozen could exceed 204.
According to NBR sources, two intelligence units of the revenue authority have sent letters to banks and financial institutions requesting them to identify and freeze the accounts of the individuals and entities on the list.
Most of the individuals named in the list are reportedly associated with the ousted Awami League government. They include former ministers, lawmakers and influential businesspeople.
Among the prominent individuals on the list are Salman F Rahman, Abdus Salam Murshedy, Tipu Munshi, Shahriar Alam, Nasrul Hamid and Tajul Islam.
The businesspeople named include Fayzur Rahman of Tusuka Group, Abdus Salam of Well Group, Khasru Chowdhury of Nipa Group, Mosharraf Hossain of Standard Group and former Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president SM Mannan Kochi.
Names of their family members have also been included in the list.
