Narsingdi’s Raipura upazila parishad chairman Layla Kaniz Lucky, also first wife of National Board of Revenue member Matiur Rahman, submitted a petition to a Dhaka court on Sunday seeking withdrawal of a travel ban imposed on her family by the court.
Dhaka metropolitan senior special judge Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain set July 28 for a hearing on the petition.
Following a petition sent by the Anti-Corruption Commission, the same court on June 24 imposed the travel ban on Matiur Rahman, Layla Kaniz, and their son Ahmed Taufiqur Rahman Arnob who are facing allegations of amassing illegal wealth.
Meanwhile, a faction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists in a statement on Sunday urged Layla Kaniz to withdraw her ‘intentional’ remark about journalists and issue an unconditional apology.
On Thursday, Layla made her first public appearance after almost two weeks following the allegations of ill-gotten wealth against her and her husband.
After attending two upazila parishad programmes that day, she said, ‘I have come here after managing all big journalists. All will now come to a stop.’
The remark of Layla sparked outrage in the journalist community.
Meanwhile, ACC officials said the commission sent letters to different government organisations seeking information regarding the movable and immovable assets owned by Matiur Rahman and his family members.
A three-member inquiry team led by Anwar Hossain sent the letters past week to the offices, including Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, NBR, Directorate of Registration, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, seeking information regarding their wealth.
ACC commissioner [investigation] Md Zahurul Haque on Sunday said that the inquiry team sent the letters, while the probe is going on as per the rules of the commission.
Following an earlier ACC letter, BFIU on June 25 asked all banks and non-banking financial institutions to freeze all accounts of Matiur Rahman and his family members for 30 days.
The BSEC also blocked the BO [beneficiary owner] accounts of Matiur and his family.
Matiur was president of NBR’s Customs, Excise, and VAT Appellate Tribunal, but the finance ministry removed him from the post on June 23 and attached him to the Internal Resources Division amid the graft allegations.
The Financial Institutions Division also relieved Matiur Rahman from his director’s role at the Sonali Bank board.
The allegations of corruption by the NBR official came to light after a video went viral on the social media that depicted Matiur’s son Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat with a goat he bought for Tk 15 lakh before Eid-ul-Azha.
Apart from the departmental inquiry, Matiur is facing an inquiry by the ACC for the fifth time in the last two decades.
