A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of immovable and movable assets belonging to Hanufa Akhter Rikta, wife of former Railway Minister Mujibul Haque. The court has also directed the freezing of five of her bank accounts.
The order was issued on Monday (October 13) by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md. Sabbir Foyez following an application submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
According to the ACC application, Rikta owns 33.5 decimals of land in Gallai Mouza of Chandina upazila in Cumilla and a 4,780-square-foot flat in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi residential area, with a combined market value of around Tk 1.07 crore. In addition, she has Tk 19.73 lakh across five bank accounts.
The application, filed by ACC Deputy Assistant Director Ainunnahar Raihan, states that Rikta and her husband, Mujibul Haque, unlawfully acquired more than Tk 3.28 crore in wealth beyond their known sources of income through mutual collusion and abuse of power.
The ACC has filed a case under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, against Rikta and her husband.
The ACC said the asset seizure and bank account freeze were necessary to ensure a fair and thorough investigation into the corruption allegations.