A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of 42 beneficiary owner (BO) accounts linked to the late Zainul Haque Sikder, former chairman of National Bank and founder of Sikder Group, along with his family members.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib issued the order on Sunday following a petition by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

ACC Deputy Director (Public Relations) Aktarul Islam confirmed the development to BSS, stating that the commission has formed a four-member committee to investigate allegations of embezzlement, loan fraud, and money laundering involving the Sikder family.

According to the ACC petition, the probe committee, acting on a decision made in the 506th meeting of National Bank, identified shares owned by National Bank Limited and NBL Securities Limited. The investigation found that the accused were attempting to sell or transfer the shares, prompting the request to freeze the BO accounts to prevent any such transactions.

The ACC’s investigation is ongoing. The commission aims to uncover the extent of financial irregularities linked to the family’s business dealings.