Ex-land minister’s brother owns Tk260m residence in London
Staff Reporter :
A luxurious apartment of businessman Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, brother of former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury of the Awami League, has been discovered in the prestigious Westmark Tower building, located near the affluent Ajoar Road area in London. This building is known to be a residence for wealthy individuals from Arab countries.
The apartment in Westmark Tower was purchased on July 15, 2021, through Anisuzzaman’s company, Bitcom Real Estate Limited, at a price of £1,606,450, which is approximately 26.5 crore Bangladeshi Taka.
According to the UK Companies House, the two directors of Bitcom Real Estate Limited (registration number 12582462) are Anisuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife, Imrana Zaman Chowdhury. The company was established on May 1, 2020, with its office located at 22 Gilbert Street in London. The property was acquired on a 999-year lease agreement from Berkeley Homes, a real estate company.
On January 17 of this year, a re-mortgage agreement was signed between Bitcom Real Estate and a lender company called Sencap Limited. This agreement imposed fixed and floating charges on the property.
Anisuzzaman Chowdhury is the brother of the former Land Minister of the ousted Awami League government. Their family has long been known for its influence in both politics and business. Various international media reports have claimed that the family is under investigation for allegations of illegal wealth accumulation and money laundering in multiple countries.
A recent report by a UK news outlet mentioned that in the past year, at least 20 property sales, transfers, or re-mortgages have been applied for in the names of individuals closely associated with the former Bangladeshi government. Anisuzzaman Chowdhury is also listed among them.
The report further states that he has applied to sell or re-mortgage at least four properties, including a £1 million Georgian townhouse in the Regent’s Park area of London.
Earlier, at the request of the Bangladeshi government, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) seized assets worth approximately £17 million linked to former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. The verification of the sources of these assets is still ongoing. Most of these properties, which are under investigation by British intelligence agencies, are located in affluent areas of London.