Photo: Collected
A court has ordered the freezing of Tk 4.8963 crore kept at the Banani branch of Dutch-Bangla Bank PLC in the name of Zebunnesa Begum Huq, wife of Ariful Huq, the younger brother of former law minister Anisul Huq.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Shahjahan Kabir passed the order on Tuesday following an application by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The ACC’s application said that, by committing criminal misconduct as a public servant, abusing power and resorting to dishonest means, Anisul Huq acquired and kept in possession assets worth Tk 146.197 crore inconsistent with his known sources of income, in his own name and in the names of persons linked to his interests, during the period from 12 January 2014 to 16 December 2024. In addition, a case was filed against him as suspicious transactions took place through deposits of Tk 349.15 crore and withdrawals of Tk 316.48 crore in 29 bank accounts. An investigation officer has also been appointed to investigate the case and submit a report.
The investigation has revealed that Anisul Huq, the accused named in the first information report, acquired assets worth a total of Tk 172.24 crore beyond known income in his own name and in the names of Mohammad Iqbal, Sheikh Md Iftekharul Islam and Zebunnesa Begum Huq, accused who were added during the investigation. Apart from this, abnormal and suspicious transactions took place in 23 bank accounts of the accused through deposits of Tk 375.50 crore and withdrawals of Tk 361.73 crore.
Those involved in the investigation have further learnt that the accused is trying to withdraw, hand over, transfer or dispose of the money deposited in the bank account through illegal means. The application therefore stated that the bank account in the name of Zebunnesa Begum Huq needs to be frozen immediately in the interest of a proper investigation of the case. It was also stated that if the account is not seized, it will not be possible to confiscate it in favour of the state during the trial.
