Casino-related purges on

Over 20 accounts frozen so far

block

Special Correspondent :
The central bank has so far frozen more than 20 accounts belonging to individuals as part of the government’s ongoing anti-corruption purge, followed by a nationwide crackdown on illegal gambling dens.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has conducted a series of raids on major sporting clubs in Dhaka over the weekend where illegal casinos were running by influential ruling party-men.
The raids came after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave strict warnings to illegal gambling operators in the country and said that that no one would be spared.
Those raids on five sporting clubs resulted in the arrests of over 200 individuals, including Jubo League leader Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, director of the Mohammedan Sporting Club Lokman Hossain, self proclaimed Jubo League leader and a top contractor GK Shamim and Kalabagan Krira Chakra Club President Shafiqul Alam Feroz, who is a central leader of Krishak League.
Dozens other ruling party men connected with illegal casino business are now on the run.
It is widely believed that masterminds of casino business have laundered a big sum of money that transacted through the illegal gabling dens in the city.
They are also facing allegations of bribery, extortion and tender manipulation taking advantage of their party influence.
As their names surface in the financial irregularities, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), an anti-money laundering arm of the central bank, ordered banks to freeze their accounts.
“The central bank ordered the freeze on their accounts after finding suspicious transactions,” BFIU chief Razee Hassan told The New Nation on Sunday.
He said that account information of several other individuals have also sought from commercial banks for examining suspicious transactions.
Sources said, the central bank is waiting for ‘green signal’ from the government’s high-ups to freeze more bank accounts of suspected persons.
The central bank has already ordered freezing of accounts of Bikalpa Dhara Joint Secretary General Mahi B Chowdhury and his wife Ashfah Huq, Awami League leaders Enamul Haque and Rupon Bhuiyan and their parents Sirajul Haq and Momtaz Begum, Jubo League leader and commissioner of Dhaka South City Corporation’s Ward 9 AK Mominul Haque Sayeed, Bangladesh Chattra League’s Dhaka North Unit former president Robiul Islam and their parents SM Mohammad Ali and Joshna Begum, Housing and Public Works Ministry official Momitur Rahman and his parents Motiur Rahman and Shahida Begum, Jasmine Parveen and her parents Mahibul Haque and Feroza Begum, Chairman and Managing Directors of Western Engineering Private Limited Nargis Ahmed and Bashir Ahmed.
Simultaneously, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) asked the commercial banks to freeze the bank accounts of Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shawon, MP, Juba League Dhaka South City President Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat.

block