Staff Reporter:
Bank accounts of prominent businessman Abdul Awal Mintoo have been unfrozen after 17 years.
On August 1, 2007, the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) or-dered banks to freeze the accounts of Mintoo, his wife Nasreen Awal, and son Tabith Awal.
In a letter on August 22, the NBR instructed banks to unfreeze the accounts of Mintoo, his wife, and son.
The CIC officials issued the order at that time based on a recommendation of a panel formed during the then army-backed caretaker government.
Abdul Awal Mintoo, a businessman and vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was also elected recently as the Chairman of Board of Directors of National Bank.
Last week, the NBR removed the bar on transactions in Khaleda Zia’s accounts following an application from her lawyer, which was blocked in August 2007.
“But Mintoo himself applied to us to unfreeze his accounts,” said a senior official of the NBR.
