Dhaka: A Bangladeshi court ordered the seizure of cricketer Shakib Al Hasan’s assets in the latest legal headache for the sports star over his allegiance to the country’s ousted PM Sheikh Hasina. Shakib is a former lawmaker from Hasina’s party Awami League. Hasina was overthrown in a student-led uprising last year.
His links to Hasina made him a target of public anger and he was among dozens facing murder investigations for a deadly police crackdown on protesters during the uprising. He has not been charged over those allegations but is currently being prosecuted on fraud charges for allegedly bouncing cheques totalling more than $300,000. According to the case statement, Agro Farm, owned by Shakib, had issued two cheques of Tk 41.5 lakh to repay loans from the Banani branch of IFIC Bank but both were dishonoured due to insufficient funds. A magistrate in the capital Dhaka ordered the seizure on Monday after a warrant for Shakib’s arrest was issued by the court in Jan.
Shakib was playing in a domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Canada when Hasina’s govt collapsed and has not returned to Bangladesh since. The left-arm allrounder has played 71 Tests, 247 one-day internationals and 129 Twenty20s for Bangladesh, taking a combined 712 wickets. agencies