The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday filed a case against former land minister and Awami League leader Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed, his family members and several senior officials of United Commercial Bank PLC and Aramit Group on charges of embezzling and laundering Tk 25 crore from UCB.
ACC deputy director Moshiur Rahman filed the case at the commission鈥檚 Chattogram district office, said Subel Ahmed, deputy director of the Chattogram district office.
Apart from Saifuzzaman, the case names 30 other individuals, including Saifuzzaman鈥檚 wife and former UCB chairperson Rukhmila Zaman, his brother and UCB director Asifuzzaman Chowdhury, and sister Roxana Zaman Chaudhury.
According to the case statement, the accused obtained a loan of Tk 25 crore from UCB鈥檚 Port Branch in Chattogram using fake documents under the name of a shell company, Vision Trading. The company was registered under the name of Aramit Group protocol officer Mohammad Forman Ullah Chowdhury, who was falsely presented as a businessman, the case statement said.
On October 13, 2019, a current account was opened at UCB鈥檚 Port Branch under Vision Trading. On February 13, the following year, an application was submitted for a 180-day short-term loan to import wheat, turmeric, lentils, and peas. Despite 17 negative observations raised by the credit committee at UCB鈥檚 corporate office, the bank鈥檚 board of directors approved the loan without proper verification. The loan funds were transferred through pay orders to four other shell companies 鈥� Alpha Traders, Classic Traders, Model Trading and Imperial Trading 鈥� reportedly operated by Aramit Group employees. The funds were later withdrawn in cash and returned back to Aramit Group accounts at UCB鈥檚 Bahaddarhat branch using vouchers and pay orders, the case statement said.
The case has been filed under Sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, 109 of the Penal Code, Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947, and Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012.
The other accused include former UCB directors Bashir Ahmed, Afroza Zaman, Syed Kamruzzaman, MA Sabur, and former acting managing director Arif Quadri. Also named are several former UCB officials and senior staffers of Aramit Group, including Mohammad Ekram Ullah, Abdul Hamid Chowdhury, Ziaul Karim Khan, Mohammad Abdul Awal, Mir Mesbah Uddin Hossain, and Bazal Ahmed Babul.
From Aramit Group, nine employees have been accused, including Forman Ullah, Kazi Diladar Alam, Misbahul Alam, Abdul Aziz, Jahangir Alam, Hossain Chowdhury, Yasinur Rahman, Yusuf Chowdhury and Saiful Islam.
Saifuzzaman served as state minister for land from 2014 to 2018, and as land minister from 2019 to 2023.
In August past year, just before the August 5, 2024, fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising, he left for London with his family.
After Hasina鈥檚 departure, Bangladesh authorities launched an investigation into allegations of widespread corruption in her government.
Saifuzzaman is under investigation by Bangladesh authorities for money laundering.
The United Kingdom鈥檚 National Crime Agency has recently frozen properties in the United Kingdom owned by Saifuzzaman, according to a report by Al Jazeera鈥檚 Investigative Unit on June 11.
The move follows legal requests from Bangladesh authorities to take action against assets owned by Saifuzzaman, a political ally of deposed Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League, activities of which were recently banned until trial of its leaders and activists involved in atrocities during the July uprising.
