A Dhaka court has ordered the authorities concerned to freeze six bank accounts and fixed deposits of former state minister for shipping, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury.
The court also ordered the seizure of his land in Dhaka’s Uttara, Dinajpur, and a car belonging to him.
Following a hearing on a petition by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Judge Sabbir Faiz of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court passed the order on Tuesday. The court’s bench assistant Riaz Hossain confirmed the information.
The seized properties are a five-katha plot in Uttara and 23 acres of land in Dinajpur. Of this, 18 acres in Dinajpur are valued at around Tk2,44,47,388. Another 5 acres were acquired through a power of attorney deed, so no value was mentioned for that land. The five-katha plot is valued at around Tk56 lakh.
In addition, the court ordered the freezing of Tk3,14,09,263 held in various accounts in six banks, a fixed deposit receipt (FDR) worth Tk3,00,000, a savings certificate worth Tk2,78,500, and a car valued at around Tk70,50,000.
ACC Assistant Director Khorshed Alam, the investigating officer in the case, filed the petition.
Khalid Mahmud could transfer, sell, or otherwise change ownership of these illegally acquired assets and abscond abroad. So, it was necessary to freeze his assets, the ACC said in the petition.
Earlier, on 8 April 2025, ACC Assistant Director Minhaj Bin Islam filed a case against the former state minister on behalf of the commission.
The case alleged that Khalid Mahmud had acquired assets worth Tk5,73,82,687 inconsistent with his known sources of income. In addition, evidence was found of suspicious transactions totaling Tk13,68,23,510 in 11 bank accounts and five bank cards in his name.
As a result, charges were brought against him under the ACC Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Money Laundering Prevention Act. Subsequently, on 26 June 2025, the court imposed a travel ban on Khalid Mahmud.
