The High Court today upheld a lower court order that allowed the government and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to confiscate the Hong Kong bank accounts and shares of former foreign minister M Morshed Khan and his son Faisal Morshed Khan.

The bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq dismissed an appeal filed by Morshed and Faisal challenging the lower court order, as there was no illegality in the lower court order, ACC’s lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.

Barrister Ajmalul Hossain and Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh appeared for Morshed and Faisal.

On September 19, a Dhaka court allowed the government and ACC to confiscate the Hong Kong bank accounts and shares of Morshed Khan and his son.

The court of Senior Metropolitan Special Judge Emrul Kayesh passed the order following a petition jointly filed by the government and the ACC, seeking its permission to confiscate the bank accounts and shares of Morshed and Faisal.

Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan said the authorities concerned of Hong Kong have earlier sent a letter to the government and ACC that Morshed and Faisal have Hong Kong dollars worth Tk 16 crore with Standard Chartered Bank and 16.8 lakh shares of Far East Communications Limited in Hong Kong.

The money and shares will be returned to Morshed and Faisal if the authorities concerned of Bangladesh government do not confiscate them by October 15, the Hong Kong police and bank authorities wrote in the letter, he said.

He said the Hong Kong authorities gave the information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Act, 2012.

The ACC lawyer said the commission filed a case with Gulshan Police Station in 2013 against Morshed Khan, his wife Nasrin Khan and their son Faisal Morshed Khan under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012 and the case is now pending with the court of Judge Emrul Kayesh.

“We have already sent the lower court order to Hong Kong authorities for confiscating the bank accounts and shares of Morshed Khan and Faisal Morshed Khan. The case against them will run as usual,” he added.