Ex-Land Minister Saifuzzaman's 26 BO accounts worth Tk 576 crore frozen

A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of 26 Beneficiary Owner (BO) accounts linked to former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and individuals or entities associated with him, amounting to Tk 576 crore 8 lakh 77 thousand 730.

The order was issued on Wednesday (July 9) by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md. Zakir Hossain Galib, following a petition by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Md. Mosiur Rahman.

The matter was confirmed by ACC spokesperson Akhtarul Islam.

In its petition, the ACC stated that a seven-member joint investigation team has been formed to probe allegations of money laundering against Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. During the investigation, secret sources revealed that the accused and his associates were attempting to liquidate and transfer the funds from the BO accounts elsewhere.

The ACC further noted that if these accounts are liquidated or the funds transferred, it could result in significant financial losses for the state, hence the accounts must be frozen immediately.

Earlier, on June 17, the UK government seized assets worth Tk 1,060 crore allegedly laundered by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. Additionally, on March 5, a court ordered the freezing of 39 bank accounts in his name, which held a total of Tk 5 crore 26 lakh 83 thousand.

Moreover, on October 17 of last year, the same court ordered the seizure of 580 immovable properties registered under the name of Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his family, both domestically and internationally. These include 343 properties in the UK, 228 in the UAE, and 9 in the United States.