A DHAKA court on Tuesday (18) ordered the freezing of 31 bank accounts linked to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her family members and their associates over corruption allegations against them, according to media reports.
According to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the bank accounts – belonging to Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, sister Sheikh Rehana, nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby and their related organisations - hold a total of Tk 3.9 billion (£24.9 million), reports Prothom Alo.
Among the organisations whose bank accounts have been ordered frozen are the Bangladesh Awami League and Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Trust, according to the Daily Star newspaper.
Judge Md Zakir Hossain passed the order following an application by Anti-Corruption Commission deputy director Md Monirul Islam.
Hasina and the others were trying to transfer the money from these accounts, the commission said.
On March 11, the same court ordered the commission to freeze 124 bank accounts belonging to Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, five of their family members and their related organisations following corruption allegations against them.
The five family members are Joy, Putul, Rehana’s husband Shafiq Ahmed Siddiq, their family members Bushra Siddiq and Shaheen Siddiq.
On December 17 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission launched a probe into allegations of embezzlement totalling Tk 800bn (£5bn) against Hasina and her family members from nine projects, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
The commission on December 22 also launched an investigation against Hasina and Joy over allegations of laundering $300m (£230.6m) to the US.
Hasina fled to India on August 5 last year after massive studentled protests led to the ouster of her nearly 16-year Awami League regime.
Pope Francis greets Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit near Bari, Italy, in June last year, as Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and then British prime minister Rishi Sunak look on
