Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has recovered 23 sacks of documents containing information on the illegal assets of the ousted Awami League government’s controversial Land Minister, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed.
In addition to 582 properties already identified in the United Kingdom, United States, Dubai, and Singapore, the commission has found preliminary evidence of his massive illicit wealth in India, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
Two close associates of Saifuzzaman, Utpal Pal and Abdul Aziz, who are involved in his foreign asset acquisition and money laundering, disclosed sensational information while in ACC remand.
Based on their information, late Saturday night (20 September), documents belonging to Saifuzzaman’s business enterprises were recovered from a house in the Karnaphuli area of Chattogram.
On Sunday morning, ACC Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam confirmed the matter.
ACC Deputy Director Mashiur Rahman stated that they received intelligence that documents related to money laundering and domestic businesses were being hidden at the Shikalbaha residence of Elias, the driver of Saifuzzaman Javed’s wife, Rukhmila Jaman.
Fearing a raid, Elias removed the documents and stored them at the home of one Osman Talukder. Later, the ACC broke the lock and seized 23 sacks of documents from that house.
He said the documents are related to foreign money laundering and various business transactions, and their review will reveal detailed information.
Earlier, on Wednesday (17 September), the ACC arrested Saifuzzaman’s two agents, Utpal Pal and Md. Abdul Aziz, from the Agrabad area of Chattogram. On Thursday (18 September), they were produced before court, which granted 5 days of remand.
Utpal Pal acted as an agent for Saifuzzaman in laundering money from Bangladesh to Dubai and then to the UK and other countries, while Md. Abdul Aziz managed his local assets.
On 24 July this year, ACC Deputy Director Md. Mashiur Rahman filed a case at the Chattogram District Office-1 against Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed, his wife, siblings, and officials/employees of his businesses-a total of 31 accused. Utpal Pal and Abdul Aziz were named accused in the case.
Reportedly, in the name of former minister Saifuzzaman and his wife Rukhmila, Bangladesh courts have ordered the seizure and freezing of 343 properties in the UK, 228 in the UAE, 9 in the USA, along with other houses, apartments, and land in various countries.
In another order on 5 March, the court froze 39 bank accounts belonging to Saifuzzaman and his family, which together contain Tk 52,683,000.
In yet another order, upon an ACC petition, the court ordered the seizure of Saifuzzaman’s shares worth Tk 1.02 billion and 957 bighas of land. Earlier, on 7 October 2024, the court also imposed a travel ban on former minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife, Rukhmila Jaman.
