Over £400m UK properties tied to Hasina’s inner circle

Staff Reporter ঃ

A joint investigation by British media outlet The Observer and Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, reported by The Guardian on Saturday uncovered over £400 million (approximately Tk 6,000 crore) in UK properties linked to prominent politicians and business figures associated with Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh.

The investigation reveals that nearly 350 properties, primarily residential, are registered under the names of individuals close to Sheikh Hasina.

Many of these assets were allegedly acquired through offshore companies in the UK and other jurisdictions, raising concerns about the source of the funds and the use of legal loopholes to obscure ownership.

One of the key figures named is Salman F Rahman, a former adviser to Sheikh Hasina and vice-chairman of Beximco Group. Currently imprisoned in Bangladesh, Rahman is under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for alleged money laundering.

His family reportedly owns several luxury apartments in London’s Grosvenor Square, including one purchased by his son, Ahmed Shayan Rahman, for £2.67 million in March 2022. Another flat, valued at £3.55 million, is also linked to Shayan Rahman, while Ahmed Shahriar Rahman, another family member, owns four properties worth £2.3 million in the same area.

Lawyers for the Rahman family maintain that all acquisitions were made in compliance with legal and financial regulations.

Former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury has also been implicated. His family reportedly owns over 300 properties in the UK, with a combined estimated value exceeding £16 million. An Al Jazeera report from September 2023 estimated his overseas assets to be worth around $50 million.