ACC to freeze bank accounts of Huda couple

A Dhaka court yesterday granted the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) permission to freeze the bank accounts of detained former communications minister Barrister Nazmul Huda and his wife Advocate Sigma Huda in connection with a Tk 6 lakh bribery case.
Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court passed the order after ACC Assistant Director Belal Hossain, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted a petition for freezing the accounts of Agrani Bank Limited at Amin Court and Prime Bank Limited at Motijheel in the city.
The ACC filed the case against the couple on June 18 with Motijheel Police Station for taking bribe from a contractor of the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority.
The case mentioned that Nazmul Huda demanded a bribe from the owner of a bridge maintenance firm in exchange for a work order for the maintenance of the Jamuna Bridge.
Huda was communications minister at that time.
As per his demand, the owner of the firm provided Huda with Tk 6 lakh, depositing the amount to the account of weekly Khoborer Antorale at the Amin court (Motijheel) branch of Agrani Bank in 20 cheques between September 30, 2004 and October 18, 2006, the case statement said.
The firm was given the work order.
Sigma Huda, who used to run the weekly, withdrew the money from the account, the complainant said.