In a significant legal move, a Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to Shyamal Dutta, Editor of Bhorer Kagoj, and Mozammel Haque Babu, CEO of Ekattor TV, along with their respective families.

Judge Md. Sabbir Foyez of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court passed the orders on Monday (February 9) following two separate petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Breakdown of the Freezing Orders
According to Court Bench Assistant Md. Riaz Hossain, the freeze affects numerous accounts linked to the journalists and their immediate family members:

Shyamal Dutta: A total of 18 bank accounts registered under his name and the name of his wife, Sanchita Dutta, have been blocked.

Mozammel Haque Babu: A total of 11 bank accounts belonging to him, his wife Aparajita Haque, and their affiliated business entities have been frozen.

Allegations of Money Laundering
The ACC’s petitions state that preliminary investigations uncovered several movable assets held by these individuals and their families for which no legitimate source of income could be identified.

The commission raised the following points in court:

Concealment of Assets: There have been attempts to hide the true origin of these assets through various transfer and relocation processes.

Money Laundering Suspicions: The ACC noted that these actions appear to constitute money laundering offenses under current laws.

Risk of Transfer: The anti-graft body argued that there is a high risk of these assets being moved, transferred, or having their ownership changed to evade the legal process.

The court accepted these arguments, stating that freezing the accounts is essential to ensure a fair and thorough investigation.