Former speaker Shirin Sharmin and family’s bank accounts frozen

A letter has been sent to commercial banks with instructions to freeze the bank accounts of her family members

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, or BFIU, has frozen the bank accounts of five people, including the former speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, her husband and children.

This directive was given to commercial banks on Thursday.

In addition to Shirin, the bank accounts of her husband Syed Ishtiaq Hossain, their son Syed Ibtesham Rafiq, daughter Lamisa Shirin Hossain, and another individual named Md Shafiul Islam have been ordered to be frozen. BFIU has also asked for their bank account details to be submitted.

The BFIU has mandated that transactions from accounts held by these individuals and their associated businesses be suspended for 30 days under Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.

The letter includes the names of the parents of the five individuals, as well as the spouse's details where applicable, along with their national identity card numbers and dates of birth. It also notes that Shafiul's occupation is listed as a government employee and the owner of "The Subhana Traders."

Shirin Sharmin was elected speaker on Apr 30, 2013, and has served in the role without interruption since.

On Aug 8, an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was sworn in, following the ouster of the Awami League government and Sheikh Hasina’s departure amid mass uprising on Aug 5. On Sept 2, Shirin Sharmin tendered her resignation to President Mohammed Shahabuddin.