Bangladesh’s tax authorities have ordered the unfreezing of bank accounts belonging to Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia, ending a 17-year freeze imposed in 2007. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) directed banks to lift the block on Zia’s accounts following a recent application from her lawyer, as reported by the Daily Star.

The freeze was initially imposed by the NBR’s Central Intelligence Cell during an Army-backed caretaker government. Since then, Zia’s accounts have remained inaccessible, despite repeated calls from the BNP for their release.

The decision to unfreeze the accounts comes in the wake of significant political changes in Bangladesh. On August 5, Sheikh Hasina, a longtime rival of Zia, was ousted from power following a mass uprising. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office on August 8, and Zia was subsequently released from jail after Hasina fled to India.

Zia, who is 79 years old, served as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister twice—first from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. The NBR confirmed that there are no outstanding tax issues related to her, prompting their decision to unfreeze the accounts. Banks have been instructed to act promptly and report compliance.