HC declares ACC’s order to seize an individual’s bank account illegal
A virtual HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman passed the verdict on Sunday
The High Court (HC) has declared illegal an order of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to seize an individual's bank account.
On 8 January, Mohammad Sharif Uddin, deputy assistant director of the ACC's Chattogram-2 integrated district office, instructed the manager of Social Islami Bank Limited's Cox's Bazar branch to seize the bank account of Belayet Hossain, a businessman from the district.
He challenged the validity of the order and filed a writ petition with the HC.
Following the preliminary hearing of the writ petition, the HC issued the rule on 22 February, asking why the order to seize his bank account would not be declared out of the purview of the legal jurisdiction of ACC.
Lawyer Rakibul Hasan told reporters that the ACC official ordered the seizure of an FDR account of Belayet Hossain but a person's bank account cannot be confiscated without a court order, subject to the approval of the commission. In this case, there has been a deviation from the law.
A virtual HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman passed the verdict on Sunday.
Lawyer Rakibul Hasan took part in the hearing in favour of the writ petition in the court. Lawyer Shaheen Ahmed represented the ACC while Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state.