The Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court has ordered the freezing of 46,463,455 shares held in Meghna Bank by three individuals linked to former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed. The order was issued today, Tuesday, after a hearing.
The individuals whose shares have been frozen are: Imrana Zaman Chowdhury, former director of Meghna Bank PLC; Utpal Pal, Managing Director of Steadfast Management Trading Limited; and Nasim Uddin Mohammad Adil, a director of the same company.
According to CID’s Financial Crime Unit, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Nafizur Rahman filed the petition, stating that the accused had used various bank accounts to buy shares worth 599.5 million BDT in Meghna Bank PLC, with the intention of laundering illegally obtained money. The petition also mentions that a total of 1.34 million USD was brought from Singapore and Dubai to Bangladesh via Mohammad Abul Kasem. Subsequently, the money was transferred to the bank accounts of Imrana Zaman Chowdhury and Steadfast Management Trading Limited.
The court was informed that without freezing these shares, the accused could easily sell them and withdraw the money illegally. For the proper conduct of the investigation, it was deemed essential to freeze the shares under Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.