Tax authorities in Bangladesh on Monday decided to lift the freeze on bank accounts of Bangladesh Nationalist Party president Khaleda Zia after the banks were ordered to freeze them 17 years ago.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has directed banks to lift the freeze on BNP chairperson Zia’s accounts, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
In August 2007, the NBR’s Central Intelligence Cell directed banks to freeze the accounts of the BNP chairperson, who has been elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice since 1990.
A senior NBR official said the decision was based on the recommendation of a panel formed during the then army-backed caretaker government.
Since then their accounts have been blocked. The BNP has on several occasions demanded that their accounts be opened.
This latest move comes after a massive uprising. Sheikh Hasina, Khaleda’s old rival Abdul Kalam ended the 15-year rule of the Bangladesh Awami League on August 5. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on August 8.
Zia, 79, Hasina was released from jail76-year-old Abdul Kalam fled to India on 5 August.
Zia served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996 and again from June 2001 to October 2006.
The NBR said it received an application from Khaleda’s lawyer on Sunday seeking lifting of the freeze on the accounts.
“Since there is no tax-related case pending investigation against them, we have advised the banks to unlock all their accounts. We have asked them to take immediate action and submit a compliance report,” the official said.