Bangladesh's tax authorities have decided to unfreeze the bank accounts of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia, 17 years after they were blocked. The move comes as the political landscape shifts following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government earlier this month.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued a directive on Monday instructing banks to unfreeze Zia's accounts, according to reports from The Daily Star newspaper. The accounts had been frozen in August 2007 at the recommendation of a panel formed during the Army-backed caretaker government at the time.
Khaleda Zia, 79, who has served as Bangladesh's prime minister twice, had her accounts blocked under a directive from the NBR's Central Intelligence Cell.
While the BNP had repeatedly demanded the unfreezing of her accounts over the years, only limited access was granted. Zia was permitted to withdraw a small amount from Rupali Bank's Shaheed Moinul Road branch in Dhaka Cantonment to cover her regular expenses.
The freeze was part of broader political actions during the caretaker government era, which also affected Sheikh Hasina, Zia's long-time political rival. Hasina’s accounts were unfrozen after she became prime minister, a position she held for 15 years until her government was ousted by a mass uprising on August 5, 2024.
Following the uprising, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge on August 8. Khaleda Zia, who had been under house arrest for the past five years, was released from custody earlier this month after a presidential pardon.
The decision to unfreeze Zia's accounts was made after her lawyer submitted a formal request on Sunday, stating that no tax-related investigations remained pending. A senior NBR official confirmed that banks were instructed to unlock her accounts immediately and report compliance.
Zia is expected to return home as a free person for the first time in years, marking a significant moment in Bangladesh's political history.