The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Tuesday ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission to seize assets, including 19 flats and two houses, owned by former Padma Bank chair Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat and his family members over graft allegations.
聽Judge Md Jakir Hossain passed the order in response to a petition submitted by ACC deputy director Masudur Rahman in this regard, said the anti-graft watcdog鈥檚 deputy director for public relations Aktarul Islam.
The two houses to be seized include one 20-storied building named 鈥楩inance Square鈥� at holding 22/1 on roads 102 and 103 at Gulshan in the capital and the house 43 on road 3 at Nikunja also in the capital.聽
The court also ordered the ACC to seize six flats owned by Nafeez located at聽 Gulshan, Cantonment and Nikunja in the capital and another flat jointly owned by Nafeez and his wife in Bashundhara residential area also in Dhaka.
Besides, two plots at Nikunja South, a 7.5-katha Rajuk plot in Purbachal, a 4.95-decimal plot at Joar Sahara at Nikunja, 8.25 decimals of land in Gazipur sadar and 20 kathas of land in Kaliakoir, Gazipur owned by Nafeez and 2.50 kathas of land jointly owned by Nafeez and his wife at Badda in Dhaka were also to be seized.
In addition, four flats -- at Panthapath, on Gulshan Link Road, at Mirpur DOHS, and at Baridhara in the capital -- and a three-katha plot at Nikunja residential area and 8.25 decimals of lands in Gazipur sadar, all owned by Nafeez鈥檚 wife Anjuman Ara Shahid were also ordered to be seized.聽聽
The court also asked the ACC for the seizure of seven flats owned by Nafeez鈥檚 son Chowdhury Rahib Safwan Sarafat. Of the flats, three are located at Banani and four at Baridhara in Dhaka.
Earlier, on January 7, the court had ordered the ACC to seize different properties, including 18 flats owned by Nafeez Sarafat, his wife Anjuman Ara and son Chowdhury Rahib Safwan Sarafat.
On January 22, the same court ordered the ACC to seize two flats in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, owned by Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat.
The two flats are situated at 鈥楾he Signature鈥� and 鈥楧amac Hills鈥� apartment complexes in a posh neighbourhood of Dubai.
The ACC in its petition stated that Sarafat and others were accused of bribery, corruption, fraud and abuse of power, cheating customers, embezzling huge amounts of money, and money laundering in collusion with each other.
A three-member ACC team is conducting an inquiry into graft allegations against them and they are now fugitives, said the petition, adding that the commission found primary information that the assets amassed by Nafeez and his family members beyond their known sources of income.
Nafeez Sarafat was a close associate of the deposed prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. He went into hiding since the ouster of the Awami league government on August 5, 2024 amid a student-led mass uprising.