During the caretaker government period, businesses and individuals were unlawfully forced to pay Tk1,232 crore, which remains frozen in Bangladesh Bank. Despite seeking redress from the country’s higher courts, the affected parties have yet to recover their funds. The central bank continues to hold this substantial sum by exploiting legal loopholes through repeated appeals, reviews, and further petitions.
According to the case details, from April 2007 to November 2008, a government intelligence agency and the then Task Force Intelligence (TFI) collected this money from nearly 40 individuals and organisations.
The money was deposited into the government’s account No. 0900 at Bangladesh Bank through over 200 pay orders.
For instance, on 19 April 2007, the One-Eleven government extracted Tk117.41 crore from James Finlay Ltd., which was first deposited into Bangladesh Bank’s Consolidated Fund through 16 pay orders. Another Tk120.24 crore from the same company was deposited on 22 April via 15 pay orders.
In this manner, funds were regularly deposited over a year and a half. Additionally, around Tk47 crore was deposited in four phases under unspecified or “unknown” sources.
Among the largest givers, Bashundhara Group paid Tk256 crore between 28 May 2007 and 11 June 2008. Parveen Haq Sikder of Sikder Group reportedly paid Tk 42 crore through nine pay orders between 19 June and 27 November 2007.
Other individuals and organisations from whom money was collected include:
Nurul Islam Babul of Jamuna Group: Tk30 crore
MGH Group: Tk24 crore
Concord Engineering: Tk8 crore
Businessman Rezaul Karim: Tk17 crore
Businessman Abu Sufian: Tk14 crore
Businessman Shawkat Ali Chowdhury: Tk6 crore
Asian City: Tk1 crore
Pink City: Tk6.41 crore
Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association: Tk19.45 crore
Former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar: Tk15 crore
Businessman Wakil Ahmed: Tk16 crore
AB Bank Foundation: Tk32 crore
Businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun: Tk20.41 crore
Elite Paint: Tk25.44 crore
AB Bank: Tk190 crore
Concord Real Estate: Tk7 crore
Anonymous owner: Tk4 crore
Businessman Abdul Awal Mintoo: Tk2.2 crore
Advocate Ahsanul Karim, representing the business community, said, “This is a public-interest case. A significant amount of money has been withheld over trivial justifications, causing financial harm to businesses. The rightful owners of this money are the businessmen, and this case needs to be resolved promptly to alleviate their financial distress.”
The affected businessmen argue that the One-Eleven government unlawfully extracted their money through unconstitutional means. They urge the government to comply with court orders and return the money while also holding those responsible accountable.
