The Anti-Corruption Commission found that Bashundhara Group chair Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and his wife Afroza Begum illegally amassed moveable and immoveable wealth worth Tk 700 crore in the country.
The commission found evidence that the couple amassed the assets beyond their known sources of income while it decided on Sunday to issue a notice to them to submit wealth statements to the commission, said ACC director general (prevention) Akhtar Hossain.
The anti-graft watchdog also found information that the couple laundered $2,50,000 to the Saint Kitts and Nevis and obtained citizenship of that country.
Akbar Sobhan and his wife also laundered a huge amount of money by opening bank accounts for registered companies in Switzerland鈥檚 Lugano, the British Virgin Islands, and the Isle of Man.
An ACC team, led by commission deputy director Sheikh Golam Mowla, found the information during its inquiry into an allegation of money laundering against the Bashundhara Group chair.
According to ACC findings, Akbar Sobhan amassed assets worth Tk 252 crore in the country. Of them, immovable assets accountted for Tk 67.50 crore and movable assets Tk 184 crore.聽
Afroza amassed assets worth Tk 453 crore. Of the wealth, immovable assets were worth Tk 117 crore and movable assets Tk 335 crore.聽
ACC DG Akhtar Hossain also said that the commission found evidence of laundering money by the couple as they did not take approval of the Bangladesh Bank to send the money to the countries mentioned.
The commission is also conducting probes into various allegations against the Bashundhara Group chair, his wife, and children, including tax evasion, land grabbing, loan embezzlement, and money laundering.
As part of the probes, they were also summoned to the ACC for interrogation recently but they did not appear at the commission.
After the overthrow of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 amid a student-led mass uprising, various state agencies launched investigations into corruption and irregularities involving influential business people who had benefited from the AL regime.
In June, ACC chair Abdul Momen said that the commission had written to the United Kingdom regarding the assets allegedly laundered to that country by Ahmed Akbar Sobhan鈥檚 two sons 鈥� Safiat Sobhan (Sanvir), vice-chair and Sadat Sobhan, co-chair of the group.
In April 30, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court ordered the anti-corruption commission to seize 75.46 crore shares -- worth Tk 1,458 crore -- of 22 companies held by the Bashundhara Group over graft allegations.
The court also asked the anti-graft agency to freeze 70 bank accounts having a balance of Tk 19 crore and $10,538 owned by Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, managing director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, and their family members, and their entities.
On February 18, the same court ordered the seizure of assets owned by Sayem Sobhan, his wife Sabrina Sobhan, and brother and the group鈥檚 vice-chairman Safwan Sobhan Tasvir in the United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.
In October, 2024, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit ordered freezing bank accounts of Akbar Sobhan and eight of his family members, including his four sons.
The same month, a Dhaka court imposed a travel ban on Akbar Sobhan and eight members of his family following an ACC request.
