Desh TV MD’s bank accounts to remain frozen

Staff Reporter  :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed till August 21 this year a High Court order that asked the authorities concerned to unfreeze 15 banks of Desh TV Managing Director (MD) Arif Hasan.

Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division, passed the order after hearing a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking stay on the High Court order.

The accounts are holding about Tk 3.41 billion. The ACC alleged that Arif Hasan, also a leader of Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO), amassed this amount beyond known source of income.

Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan who represented the ACC in the court hearing said following the Chamber Judge’s order the accounts will remain frozen from now on.

The lawyer said the Anti-Corruption Commission applied to the Metropolitan Special Judge’s Court to freeze 15 bank accounts of Arif Hasan and Hasan Telecom, an organisation related to his interests. In 2020, the Metropolitan Special Judge ordered the freezing of his bank accounts.

Challenging the Special Judge’s order Arif Hasan moved the High Court. Hearing his petition, the High Court ordered to unfreeze his accounts. The ACC then filed a petition with the Appellate Division against the HC order.

After hearing the ACC petition the Chamber Court stayed the HC order and sent the matter to the regular Appellate Division Bench for detail hearing on August 21.