A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of shares in 94 companies and 107 Beneficiary Owner (BO) accounts registered under the names of Salman F Rahman—former adviser to ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina—his son Ahmed Shayan Fazlur Rahman, their family members, and associates.
The order was issued on Wednesday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib, following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
According to the petition, 28 of the BO accounts are owned by companies linked to Salman F Rahman, while the remaining 79 are in his personal name.
ACC spokesperson Akhtarul Islam stated that ACC Deputy Director Md Zainal Abedin filed the petition seeking to freeze the accounts. The court granted the request and issued the freezing order.
The petition stated that Salman F Rahman, the former adviser to the then Prime Minister on private industry and investment affairs, along with others, is accused of embezzling thousands of crores of taka from shareholders through placement share manipulation and fraud.
It further alleged that he misused undue influence to secure and misappropriate approximately Tk36,000 crore in loans from various state-owned and private banks, and laundered thousands of crores abroad.
During the investigation, information was uncovered regarding company shares and BO accounts held under the names of Salman F Rahman, his family members, close associates, and others implicated in the allegations.
The ACC stated that there have been attempts to transfer, shift, or convert the shares and BO accounts in question.
If such attempts succeed, it would hinder the investigation, delay the filing of charges, and obstruct the eventual confiscation of ill-got assets by the government upon conviction.
Therefore, the commission argued that freezing the shares and BO accounts is essential to ensure a fair investigation and the pursuit of justice.
