May.13, 2010, 12:30 p.m. EST

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) - The central bank of Bangladesh asked commercial banks and financial institutions on Thursday to freeze five accounts for one month.

The accounts include two of a Malaysian-based multinational marketing company, UNIPAY2U and UNIPAY2U Bangladesh Limited, and three local individuals, central bank officials confirmed.

“We’ve taken the measure in line with the existing money laundering prevention act,” a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank, told AHN Media in Dhaka.

The official said the act empowers the central bank to freeze any suspicious bank account for maximum 60 days in two phases to examine the overall transactions of the account.

The central bank of Bangladesh issued a directive in this connection on Thursday and asked chief executives and managing directors of all scheduled banks and non-banking financial institutions to submit reports on the accounts to the Anti-Money Laundering Department of the central bank within a week.

“We’ll take the next course of action after receiving detailed information on the accounts,” the official said without elaborating.

UNIPAY2U operates in eight countries including Bangladesh, where it started in October 2009, according to a company representative.