The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has asked banks and financial institutions to freeze the accounts of around 100 individuals suspected of involvement in financing activities aimed at creating unrest in the country’s readymade garment (RMG) sector.
The revenue authority has also sought detailed transaction records of 125 companies as part of an investigation into whether funds belonging to these individuals and businesses were used to instigate unrest in the garment industry.
NBR sources said two intelligence units of the revenue authority had sent letters to banks and financial institutions, requesting them to identify and freeze the bank accounts of the listed individuals and provide detailed transaction records of the 125 companies.
Most of the individuals on the list are reportedly linked to the ousted Awami League government.
They include former ministers, lawmakers and influential businesspeople.
Names of their family members have also reportedly appeared on the list.
According to NBR sources, investigators had also found indications of financial transactions through mobile financial services and cryptocurrencies.
An NBR senior official, requesting anonymity, said the initiative to identify and freeze the accounts had been taken based on information provided by several government agencies.
The authority has simultaneously sought transaction details from a large number of companies to examine their financial activities.
Asked about the grounds for the investigation, the official said the individuals and companies had been accused of financing activities that contributed to unrest in the garment sector.
The financial records are being examined to verify the allegations, the official added.
Some of the individuals on the list are currently in jail, while others are absconding, according to the sources.
However, the NBR investigation into the allegations is still underway, and officials said the list could be expanded as the process progresses.
They could not specify when the investigation would be completed.