Trade worth $4.8b over 15 years: Asiatic Group accused of corruption, rights violation WPP calls for suspending partnership
Gazi Anowar :
Leading UK-based law firm Bindmans LLP has issued a legal notice to WPP CEO Mark Read, urging an immediate suspension of the communications giant’s partnership with Bangladesh’s largest advertising conglomerate, Asiatic 360 Group, amid allegations of corruption, human rights violations, and monopolistic practices.
According to the notice, the Anti-Discrimination and Corruption Forum (ADAC) has raised serious concerns about Asiatic Group’s role in disseminating government propaganda and benefiting from its political ties to secure lucrative contracts and dominate the local advertising industry.
These accusations surface as international scrutiny mounts against the Hasina administration, with the International Criminal Court (ICC) currently investigating allegations of crimes against humanity involving Prime Minister Hasina and 69 of her associates.
In a damning UN Human Rights Council report released in mid-2024, it was revealed that more than 1,400 people were killed during protests in Bangladesh, 12-13% of them children. Following these developments, Asiatic Group’s founder and former chairman, Asaduzzaman Noor, a former culture minister, was arrested in September 2024 in connection with a murder case.
Market Monopoly and Political Favoritism
Allegations against Asiatic Group, co-owned by the family of late cultural icon Aly Zaker, include monopolizing Bangladesh’s advertising market over the past 16 years by leveraging political connections. Reports claim that the group cornered media budgets from major multinationals including Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink, bKash, Marico, Reckitt, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Danone, and Colgate.
The company reportedly received significant support from former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed to secure exclusive rights for broadcasting major cricket events. Founded in 2000 as a joint venture between Asiatic and GroupM, a WPP subsidiary, Asiatic Mindshare now reportedly controls over 80% of Bangladesh’s advertising market. Based on their own estimates of a BDT 400 billion market, the company is believed to have conducted business worth BDT 480 billion (approximately $4.8 billion) over 15 years.
Financial Scrutiny and Criminal Investigations
The National Board of Revenue (NBR)’s Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) has frozen all bank and financial accounts of Asiatic Marketing Communications Ltd amid ongoing investigations into alleged tax evasion and undisclosed assets. CIC officials, requesting anonymity, confirmed that financial transaction records of related individuals and entities are being examined.
Further controversy surrounds a mysterious 2021 incident in which three employees of Asiatic’s affiliate “Forethought PR” died at a Gazipur resort. Several others were left severely injured, some permanently blinded. The company allegedly suppressed the identities of the victims and avoided media disclosure.
Ownership and Political Links
After Aly Zaker’s death, his widow Sara Zaker assumed the role of chairman, with their son Iresh Zaker as managing director. Their daughter, Shreya Sarwar Zoya, manages Radio Shadhin. Asaduzzaman Noor, a former MP from the ruling Awami League and a close ally of the Prime Minister, was removed from all official positions within the company in 2024 following his arrest.
The company maintains close ties with the Centre for Research and Information (CRI), the ruling party’s research wing. Meta (Facebook’s parent company) removed 98 pages and 50 accounts in May 2024 linked to coordinated inauthentic behavior involving CRI. Iresh Zaker has been accused of exploiting this relationship to influence media and advertising agendas.
Asiatic was also awarded several large-scale government event contracts during the “Mujib Borsho” (Mujib Year) celebrations in 2021, attended by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising concerns about non-transparent bidding processes and misuse of public funds.