The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has decided to freeze the Beneficiary Owner's (BO) accounts of 20 people, including five former ministers and their 15 family members.
The stock market regulator stopped the BO accounts in a commission meeting held at its head office in the city on Thursday (August 29) following the direction of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU).
According to the order, their accounts will remain frozen until further notice. Individuals will keep their funds, but any withdrawals will be disallowed during the freezing period.
The five ministers are -former Home Minister Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed, former State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, and former State Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat.
Besides, the BSEC has directed the Central Depository Bangladesh Limited to freeze the BO accounts of Mohiuddin Maharaj, a former member of parliament, until further notice.
Other individuals with frozen BO accounts include Lutful Tahmina Khan, wife of Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal, along with their son Safi Muddaser Khan and daughter Shafia Tasnim Khan.
The list also includes Hasan Mahmud’s wife Nurun Fatema Hasan and his daughter Nafisa Zumaina Mahmud, and Arafat’s wife Sharmin Mustary, Palak’s wife Arifa Jesmin Konika, Former MP Maharaj’s wife Umme Kulsum, and his son Sammam Junaid Efti are also on the list.
Ex-land minister Javed’s spouse Rukhmila Zaman Chowdhury, his daughter Zeba Zaman Chowdhury, his relative Zara Zaman, his sister Roxana Zaman Chowdhury and his brother Anisuzzaman Chowdhury had their accounts frozen as well.
The BSEC said the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) decided to investigate the bank accounts of these individuals under the Money Laundering Act of 2012.
These individuals have investments in several stocks and may commit irregularities in the market, hence the BSEC has decided to freeze their BO accounts, it added.
