The bank account of Orion Group chairman Obaidul Karim has been seized. At the same time, the bank accounts of 6 people including his wife and children and their related businesses have also been asked to be suspended.
On Wednesday (September 18), Bangladesh Bank's Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), sent instructions to the country's banks and financial institutions to freeze the accounts. In the evening, a senior official of BFIU confirmed this information to the media.
All transactions through the personal and business accounts of those whose accounts have been frozen will be suspended. For the next 30 days, they will not be able to make any kind of transactions. If necessary, this period of suspending the transaction will be extended.
BFIU's letter said that relevant provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Rules will apply to this order to suspend transactions. In the letter, the names of Obaidul Karim and his wife Arjuda Karim, son Salman Obaidul Karim, Mehdi Hasan and daughter Zareen Karim along with their national identity cards have been given. Apart from this, Rezaul Karim's name and national identity card information is provided.The BFIU directive further states that banks and financial institutions have been asked to send account related information or documents such as account opening form, KYC and transaction statement etc. to them within two working days from the date of issue of the letter in case of suspension of an account.
Since the fall of the government on August 5, BFIU has seized the accounts of various people including ministers, MPs, politicians, former bureaucrats. Various measures are also being taken from NBR.