Ex-land minister’s BO accounts frozen

Staff Reporter :

A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of 26 beneficiary owner (BO) accounts linked to former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, his associates, and affiliated entities, involving assets worth Tk576.08 crore.

The order was issued on Wednesday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib, following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), confirmed ACC Public Relations Officer Akhtarul Islam.

The freezing of the accounts is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of money laundering against the former minister. According to the ACC, a seven-member investigation team has been formed to probe the case in depth.

The ACC told the court that intelligence reports had indicated attempts were being made to liquidate or transfer assets held in the BO accounts. To prevent potential loss to the state exchequer, the ACC sought immediate court intervention.

This latest development adds to a series of legal actions against Saifuzzaman. On 17 June, the British government seized assets worth Tk1,060 crore, allegedly laundered by the former minister to the UK.
Earlier, on 5 March, a Dhaka court ordered the freezing of 39 bank accounts held by Saifuzzaman, which collectively contained Tk5.26 crore.

In a separate move on 17 October last year, the same court ordered the seizure of 580 immovable properties owned by Saifuzzaman and his family, both in Bangladesh and overseas. These included 343 properties in the UK, 228 in the UAE, and nine in the United States.

The ACC said investigations are ongoing and further actions will be taken based on findings.