Finance adviser justifies freeze order

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Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday said former law minister Moudud Ahmed’s bank accounts were frozen on logical grounds.

“I think the bank accounts have been frozen for justified reasons,” he told reporters after his pre-budget meeting with editors of different newspapers and private television channels.

The finance adviser, however, made it clear that if nothing unusual is found in those bank accounts, they will take corrective measurers.

“Investigation is going on and steps will be taken as per the law if our suspicion proves right,” said the adviser.

Asked about Moudud’s reaction, he said the immediate past law minister’s reaction was “natural”.

“We have not frozen the accounts to harass anyone,” he said, adding that Moudud will be notified of the reasons for freezing his bank accounts.

Moudud, also BNP standing committee member, had said at a press conference on Tuesday that freezing his and his family members’ bank accounts was just to harass him politically.

Asked about further actions against tax evaders, Adviser Azizul Islam said, “We are not going for wholesale freezing of bank accounts, but we will freeze them if there are specific allegations.

“I think there is no doubt about the persons whose bank accounts have been frozen so far,” he said.

Editors of different newspapers and satellite television channels exchanged their views on different issues, including hike in the prices of essentials and whitening of black money.

Sources said a number of editors wanted to know if the current caretaker government will go for any drive against the persons who whitened black money during the immediate past BNP-Jamaat rule.

“It will not be correct to go for action against them as they whitened black money maintaining government rules and paid a certain amount of money to the government,” one editor said.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Financial Express Editor Moazzem Hossain said the editors drew attention to many genuine businessmen’s panic caused by the ongoing joint drives.

Admitting the fact, the finance adviser said, “We have already taken measures to give honest businessmen assurance that they will not be affected [by the joint drive].”

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