Bangladesh freezes ex-PM's bank accounts

Dhaka, Aug 31: Bangladesh's tax authority has asked commercial banks to freeze the accounts of the most recent prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, and 10 family members as part of the army-backed interim government's anti-corruption drive.

Family members on the freeze list include Khaleda's younger son Arafat Rahman and his wife and their two daughters, Khaleda's nephew and five other relatives, the National Board of Revenue said in a circular issued to the banks.

The NBR has already frozen the bank accounts of Khaleda's elder son and political heir Tareeq Zia, who has been in jail since early this year for alleged corruption and abuse of power.

Recently, Khaleda paid 48,000 dollars tax to the NBR to cover 13 million taka in ''undisclosed'' income, but it refused to accept similar bids by her sons, officials said.

Earlier this month, the board had frozen the bank accounts of another former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and five of her family members.

Hasina has been detained since July 16 on charges of extortion and is being held inside a building that has been turned into a special jail within the parliament compound.

Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency imposed by the interim administration, which took over in January and launched a crackdown on corruption ahead of elections planned for late next year.

More than 170 political figures, including former ministers in the governments of both Hasina and Khaleda, have been detained for graft and abuse of power.

Reuters
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