Court freezes 41 bank accounts of former Rajshahi mayor Liton, family

They have already been barred from leaving the country

A Dhaka court has ordered the attachment of 41 bank accounts belonging to former Rajshahi mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton and members of his family.

The order was issued on Sunday by Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Sabbir Faez after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sought the move as part of a financial crime investigation.

The accounts are held in the names of Liton, his wife Shaheen Akhtar Reni, and their two daughters, Anika Fariha Zaman and Maisha Samiha Zaman.

According to court officials, the CID’s Financial Crime and Organised Crime Division told the court it had information suggesting that Liton and people linked to him were attempting to transfer and use funds believed to have been acquired illegally. Investigators said freezing the accounts was necessary to ensure a proper investigation.

Liton is a senior Awami League leader and the son of veteran politician AHM Kamruzzaman. He began his political career in the 1980s and was elected mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation in 2008, before winning re-election in 2018 and 2023.

He had previously contested parliamentary elections from the Rajshahi-2 constituency in 1996 and 2001 but was unsuccessful.

Following the post-August 2024 political shift, Liton was removed from his position as mayor, along with other city corporation chiefs. In 2021, he was appointed a member of the Awami League’s presidium.

His wife currently serves as senior vice-president of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Awami League.

The court order follows earlier legal action against the family. In March last year, a court imposed a travel ban on Liton and his family at the request of the Anti-Corruption Commission.