1/11 govt seized Tk1,232cr from 40 individuals, organisations

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

Former BNP MP Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal: Tk 20 crore

Kabir Steel: Tk7 crore

Businessman Noor Ali: Tk40.5 crore

Amin Mohammad Foundation: Tk 32.5 crore

Sagufta Housing: Tk2.5 crore

Hosaf Group: Tk15 crore

Partex Group: Tk15 crore

Swadesh Properties: Tk9 crore

Islam Group: Tk35 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.