A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of 21 bank accounts linked to Prashanta Kumar (PK) Halder, the former managing director of NRB Global Bank and Reliance Finance Limited, along with three others.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib issued the order following a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday.
ACC spokesperson Akhtarul Islam confirmed the matter.
The three others named in the order are former FAS Finance and Investment Limited chairman Md Siddiqur Rahman, director Mahfuza Rahman Baby, and director Anita Kar.
Among the frozen accounts, 11 are registered under Siddiqur Rahman, four under Mahfuza Rahman Baby, and six under Anita Kar.
ACC Deputy Assistant Director Sabrina Zaman filed the petition, stating that PK Halder and his associate Swapan Kumar, along with 20 others, misused their authority to facilitate fraudulent loans.
Without proper mortgage or verification, they helped Swapan Kumar, the proprietor of the shell company Sandeep Corporation, obtain a fake loan.
The beneficiaries allegedly withdrew Tk400 million from FAS Finance and Investment Limited and laundered the money through various entities.
The investigation revealed that accused No 3, Md Siddiqur Rahman, accused No 8, Mahfuza Rahman Baby, and accused No 16, Anita Kar, misappropriated funds using shell companies and attempted to transfer or conceal the money.
PK Halder is currently detained in India, while his associates in Bangladesh have reportedly been trying to withdraw the funds.
Authorities fear they may flee the country if successful.
The ACC argued that allowing these transactions before the case is resolved could obstruct justice, making the immediate freezing of these assets essential.
