Court orders freezing of 19 shares of Matiur, family members

A Dhaka court on Tuesday ordered the freezing of shares in 19 companies belonging to former NBR official Matiur Rahman and his family members. 

The court also asked to confiscate 137.28 decimal of land owned by his family members. 

Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge-9 Judge Md Taslim Arif's court gave this order after hearing a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

ACC Court Inspector Amir Hossain confirmed this information.

The immovable properties seized include 137.28 decimal land and buildings in Gazipur and Tongi circles in the name of Matiur Rahman's second wife Shammi Akhtar Shibli and her brother MA Qayyum Howladar, his son Ahmed Tofiqur Rahman Arnab’s 8,070 square feet space with three car parking spaces in Bashundhara area.

The court has ordered the freezing of over 37.8 million shares of 19 companies of the Matiur family among the movable assets.

Deputy Director Anwar Hossain made this request on behalf of the ACC.

• Court orders to seize all assets of Matiur, family

It is said in the application that Matiur Rahman has been accused of acquiring illegal wealth in his name or the name of other persons in the country and abroad through money laundering and under-invoicing/over-invoicing.

During the investigation, it is revealed from reliable sources that Matiur Rahman and his family members are trying to hand over their immovable and movable properties to others.

All purposes including confiscation of property in favour of the government will fail if they can do this. 

For this reason, it is necessary to freeze the following immovable properties to facilitate a fair investigation and establish justice.

Matiur Rahman’s name was the talk of the town on social media this Eid-ul-Azha after rumors surfaced that his son had purchased a goat for an astonishing Tk15 lakh.

The exorbitant price of the goat sparked widespread attention, along with a mix of curiosity and controversy.

However, Matiur Rahman denied these claims, saying: "Ifat, the person being talked about, is neither my son nor even a relative or acquaintance. My only son's name is Toufiqur Rahman. I will formally protest these rumours."

Subsequently, scrutiny fell on Matiur Rahman and his family’s lifestyle.

Several media reports said that Matiur Rahman and his family own resorts, shooting spots, bungalow houses, land, and other properties.