A Dhaka court on Thursday ordered the seizure of more movable and immovable assets, including 2,367 decimals (23 acres) of land, of National Board of Revenue member Matiur Rahman and his family to facilitate a proper inquiry into the allegations brought against them.
Dhaka Metropolitan聽 senior special Judge Mohammed As-Shams Jaglul Hossain passed the order, allowing a petition by Anti-Corruption Commission deputy director Anwar Hossain.
The court also ordered to freeze Tk 13.44 crore in 116 bank accounts and 23 beneficiary owner鈥檚 (BO) accounts owned by Matiur and his family members, said ACC public prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.
ACC, in the plea, said that Matiur has allegedly amassed illegal wealth worth hundreds of crores of taka and laundered the money abroad through hundi, under-invoicing, and over-invoicing.
It also told the court that 鈥榳e learned that the accused and his family members are trying to hand over properties, and if they manage to do so, all the attempts to seize the illegal wealth and properties will go in vain.鈥�
Of the seized properties, 875.95 decimals of land was jointly owned in Gazipur by Matiur, his first wife Layla Kaniz, his son Ahmed Tafiquer Rahman Arnab, and daughter Farzana Rahman Ipsita.
Another 958 decimals of land of M/S Global Shoes Ltd, located at Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh, was singly in the name of Matiur鈥檚 brother MA Kayum Howlader, while in Savar upazila in Dhaka, 12.58 decimals of land was owned singly by Matiur.
Of the seized assets, Layla Kaniz owned land in three districts鈥�14.03 decimals in Savar, 38 decimals in Narsingdi, and 166 decimals at Singra upazila in Natore. 聽
Ahmed Tafiquer Rahman Arnab singly owned 104.5 decimals in Bhaluka of Mymensingh, and 126.01 decimals in Narsingdi, while Matiur鈥檚 daughter Ipsita owned 72 decimals of land in Narsingdi.
The court also ordered the seizure of four apartments located in the capital鈥檚 Mirpur owned by Matiur鈥檚 first wife Layla Kaniz.
Earlier on July 4, the same court ordered the seizure of the assets, including a multi-storey building in the Bashundhara residential area, four flats in Dhaka and 1,019 decimals of land, owned by Matiur and his family.
Matiur was president of the NBR鈥檚 Customs, Excise, and VAT Appellate Tribunal before he was removed from the position by the finance ministry on June 23, following the goat scandal involving his son that brought his assets under public scrutiny.
The NBR official is now facing an ACC inquiry for the fifth time in the past two decades.
In 2004, the ACC launched the first inquiry against Matiur, which was followed by three more inquiries in 2008, 2013, and 2021 without any breakthrough.
On June 4, this year, the ACC, in its meeting, decided to launch a fresh inquiry into the corruption allegations brought against him and his family.
A Dhaka court on June 24 imposed a travel ban on Matiur, his first wife Layla Kaniz, and their son Arnab, accepting an ACC plea.
On June 30, Matiur鈥檚 first wife, Layla Kaniz, also chairman of Raipura upazila parishad in Narsingdi, submitted a petition to the court seeking the withdrawal of the ban. The court set July 28 for holding a hearing on the petition.
Matiur was exposed to public scrutiny after a video of his second wife鈥檚 son, Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, buying a goat for Tk 12 lakh went viral on social media ahead of Eid-ul-Azha festival in June.
He initially denied Ifat as his son which was subsequently proved a lie.
Speaking to a television channel, Matiur denied any wrongdoing, saying that the ACC gave him clean chits four times in the past.