17 years after their blockade, Bangladesh’s tax authorities have decided to restart Khaleda Zia’s bank accounts, which were previously blocked. According to the Daily Star newspaper, the National Board of Revenue ( NBR ) instructed banks on Monday to unfreeze the accounts of BNP Chairperson Zia.
In August 2007, the NBR’s Central Intelligence Cell directed businesses to freeze the transactions of the BNP Chairperson, who has been elected Bangladesh’s prime minister half since 1990.
A top NBR official claimed that the panel’s proposal led to the decision, which was made during the then-deposed, Army-backed caretaker government.
Since therefore, her transactions have remained blocked. The BNP has repeatedly pleaded for their unfrozenness.
Eventually, she was permitted to take a certain amount of money from the Shaheed Moinul Road unit of Rupali Bank in Dhaka Cantonment each month to run regular bills.
Sheikh Hasina’s banks records were likewise frozen by the then-capturer state, but they were unfreezed after she became prime minister.
The latest shift comes after a mass uprising toppled Hasina, a long-time enemy of Khaleda, on August 5, ending the Bangladesh Awami League’s 15-year law. On August 8, a temporary state led by Nobel prize Muhammad Yunus swore reelection.
Zia, 79, was released from jail after Hasina, 76, fled to India on August 5. Zia served as Bangladesh’s prime minister from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006.
Khaleda’s attorney requested the unfreezing of the addresses on Sunday, according to the NBR.
We have advised banks to access all of her accounts because there are no tax-related issues arose in the course of her investigation. We have requested that they immediately take action and submit a conformity record,” the official was quoted as saying.
