Court Orders Seizure of Assets and Bank Accounts of Former ICT Minister Palak
A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of 15.15 acres of land and the freezing of 18 bank accounts belonging to former State Minister for ICT, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, his son, and his mother-in-law. The total market value of the confiscated land is estimated at BDT 19,545,966, while the frozen bank accounts hold a sum of BDT 47,079,937.
On Monday, February 10, the Senior Special Judge of the Dhaka Metropolitan Court issued the order following a petition by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
In its petition, the ACC stated that it had obtained information on immovable and movable assets owned by Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the former Member of Parliament from Natore-3 constituency. The petition further mentioned that there is a possibility of transferring, disposing of, or altering ownership of these assets. To ensure a fair investigation, the ACC deemed it necessary to freeze the assets in question.
The seized immovable assets include 14.985 acres of land, two buildings, and four commercial shops in Singra upazila, Natore. Additionally, six decimals of land worth BDT 487,365 are registered under the name of his son, Apurba Zunaid. The court also ordered the seizure of 10 katha of land in Purbachal, valued at BDT 3.5 million.
The frozen bank accounts include 12 accounts in the name of Zunaid Ahmed Palak, holding a total of BDT 23,173,617. His son, Apurba Zunaid, has two accounts containing BDT 5,537,117, while his mother-in-law, Laila Jesmin, has four accounts holding BDT 18,320,203, all of which have been frozen as per the court’s directive.
