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By Mizan Rahman
The Bangladesh government yesterday ordered a probe into finances of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia as the latter has claimed that she could not pay her house rent due to
freezing of her accounts.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave instructions during an informal discussion with the cabinet members after the weekly meeting held at the
Secretariat.
The BNP chief on Sunday claimed that she was not in a position to pay house rent as the National Board of Revenue (NBR) had frozen her bank
accounts.
Some cabinet members urged the prime minister to allow Zia to draw money from those bank accounts, sources said.
The prime minister neither gave her consent nor rejected the proposal, a minister who attended the meeting said on condition of anonymity.
She, however, asked the ministers and officials concerned to examine the statement of Zia if there is any conspiracy or other motives, he said, adding that the decision might be taken
after examining the issue.
He said Zia could now draw only Taka 50,000 ($375.29) a month from those accounts for her daily needs. She has to pay house rent from the amount as she stays in a rented house at Gulshan.
Liberation War Affairs Minister Mozammel Hossain, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam took part in the discussion.
Law Minister Anisul Haque said: “We believe that there must have any hidden meaning behind the statement. Either they are trying to pressurise the government to release her bank accounts or trying to get
assistance from foreign.”
The government has also taken a decision to make public the details about the bank accounts of the BNP chairperson.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu have been entrusted with the task of finding out all her bank accounts, examining the details and making it public soon, State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu
confirmed.
Earlier, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan demanded defreezing of Zia’s bank accounts immediately.
“This is another misconduct of the government towards Zia. We strongly demand the immediate de-freezing of her bank account,” he said.
Khan added: “In 2007, the then caretaker government arrested and had frozen bank accounts of both Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. But Hasina’s accounts were defrozen in 2008 while the government did not take any steps about Zia’s
accounts.”
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