Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Bank and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have asked for information about the bank accounts of 12 people, including Dhaka South Jubo League president Ismail Hossain Samrat.
Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), an anti-money-laundering arm of the central bank, and the NBR sent separate letters in this regard to different commercial banks on Monday.
BFIU asked the banks concerned to send the required information to the BFIU within five working days.
It also sought information on the bank accounts of Proshanta Kumar Halder, Afsar Uddin Master, Ayesha Akhtar, Samima Sultana, Sheikh Mahmud Junaid, Md Johur Alam, SM Ajmal Hossain, Rojo Gopal Sarkar and Sarful Awal, according to private TV channel Jamuna Television.
In another letter, the NBR sought account information of Jubo League presidium member and member of parliament (MP) Nurunnabi Chowdhry Shawon, his wife Farzana Chowdhury and Ismail Hossain Samrat, according to Bangla News 24.com.
Earlier, the BFIU asked the commercial banks in the country to freeze all personal and institutional bank accounts of GK Shamim, an influential contractor, and expelled Jubo League leader Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Shamim on Friday, while Khalid on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in tender manipulation, extortion, and running drugs and gambling rackets and casinos.
After Shamim’s arrest, some people placed cheques to different banks on Sunday to withdraw money from Shamim’s accounts.
“Later, authorities of the concerned banks sought suggestion from BFIU on whether they would accept cheques or not. But the BFIU asked them to halt payment against the cheques and ordered freezing Shamim’s accounts,” an anonymous central bank official told The New Nation.
At the same time, the BFIU asked the banks to freeze accounts of GK Shamim’s wife and his parents, asking them to inform it within one day.
BFIU also asked the banks to freeze accounts of GK Shamim’s wife and parents.
According to NBR sources, the inquiry into GK Shamim’s tax evasion has started after receiving high-level directives from the government.
