A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to former senior secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Md Shah Kamal and his wife Farzana Siddiqui.
The order was issued by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Mohammad As-Shams Jaglul Hossain’s court on Sunday.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Mahbubul Alam filed the application to freeze the accounts, with Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam representing the ACC in court. Following the hearing, the court approved the request.
According to the ACC, Shah Kamal has a total of Tk57,565,721 spread across 12 bank accounts, while his wife Farzana Siddiqui holds Tk37,634,414 in seven accounts.
The ACC's application detailed that a two-member investigation team has been formed to probe allegations against Md Shah Kamal, including abuse of power, embezzlement of relief funds, and accepting bribes amounting to crores of taka through syndicates for transfers and recruitment of manpower.
The investigation revealed that the accused is attempting to transfer or launder the money obtained through illegal means.
The ACC argued that freezing the bank accounts of Shah Kamal and his wife is crucial to ensuring a fair investigation and preventing the potential loss of these funds, which could otherwise be confiscated by the state during their trial.
