Confiscation order revised: lawyer

The High Court on Tuesday directed authorities to prevent any shifting of assets owned by Rana Plaza owner Mohammad Sohel Rana and the four owners of the five garment units located inside the collapsed building.

The bench of judges Mirza Hussain Haider and Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar issued the ruling in presence of the five in the court.

In the morning, the court ordered confiscation of assets by the owners. The ruling was, however, later reconsidered upon a point raised by a defence lawyer.

One of the petitioners in the Savar issue, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua confirmed bdnews24.com of the new ruling regarding a halt on transfer of their assets. “There are some regulations for confiscations. It cannot be done like this.”

Another lawyer Barrister Hassan SM Azim told bdnews24.com, “Open court had ordered confiscation. But I brought a new point in light. Now, there are no confiscation orders.”

A day after huge cracks were spotted in the building, the nine-storied structure caved in on Apr 24, with over 3,000 people inside. Rescue work is still going on at the site.

Sohel Rana, the building owner and reportedly a leader of a pro-government front organisation, had been on the run since the accident. RAB arrested him on Sunday from a bordering district as he was planning to cross over to India.

Earlier in the day, police produced Rana, EtherTex owner Anisur Rahman, Phantom Apparels and Phantom Tac owner Aminul Islam, New Wave Bottom owner Mahmudur Rahman Tapas and New Wave Style owner Bazlus Samad Adnan before the court.

On Sunday, the High Court had ordered freezing of bank accounts of Rana and the garment owners whose factories were located in the building.

However, it allowed withdrawal of money from the accounts to pay the dues and salaries of the garment workers with a rider that it should be done under the supervision of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

The same day, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) informed that it had launched an investigation into the sources of Rana’s income. The national anti-graft body said it would also look into the alleged irregularities in the construction of the building.

Police detained Rana’s father Abdul Khalek on Monday in two cases filed over the country’s biggest industrial disaster.

Police and the capital’s development authority had filed two cases over the incident.