After 17 long years, the tax authorities in Bangladesh have finally decided to unfreeze the bank accounts of Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson, Khaleda Zia. This monumental decision comes as a relief to many, as it marks the end of a long-standing financial blockade.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued an official directive on Monday, instructing banks to comply with the unfreezing of BNP Chairperson Zia’s accounts, as reported by the Daily Star newspaper.
Back in August 2007, the NBR’s Central Intelligence Cell had ordered banks to freeze Khaleda Zia’s accounts, following a recommendation from a panel formed during the then Army-backed caretaker government. Since then, her accounts have remained frozen, despite repeated demands from the BNP to lift the restrictions.
A senior official from the NBR confirmed the decision to unfreeze the accounts, stating that there were no pending tax-related issues requiring further investigation.
In a similar move, Sheikh Hasina’s bank accounts were also blocked during the same period but were subsequently unfrozen after she assumed office as prime minister. Now, with the recent political upheaval in Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia’s accounts are finally being released from their long-held freeze.
Despite the financial restrictions, Khaleda Zia was allowed to withdraw a limited amount of money each month from Rupali Bank’s Shaheed Moinul Road branch in Dhaka Cantonment for her regular expenses.
This significant development comes in the aftermath of a mass uprising that ousted Hasina’s regime on August 5, ending the Bangladesh Awami League’s 15-year reign. Following the political shift, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge on August 8.
Khaleda Zia, aged 79, was released from prison after Hasina, aged 76, fled to India on August 5. Throughout her political career, Zia served as the prime minister of Bangladesh twice, from 1991 to 1996 and then from 2001 to 2006.
‘No tax-related issues pending’
Following an application from Khaleda’s lawyer, the NBR confirmed that there were no unresolved tax issues related to her accounts. Therefore, banks have been instructed to unlock all her accounts immediately and provide a compliance report.
