The Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday filed a case against eight people, including former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman, on charges of taking Tk聽41.75 crore in bribes from a business entity.
The commission鈥檚 deputy assistant director, Md Rubel Hossain, filed the case with its integrated district office in Dhaka-1, said ACC deputy director for public relations Aktarul Islam.
The others accused in the case are former United Commercial Bank director Syed Kamruzzaman, Aramit PLC assistant general manager and Imperial Trading owner Md Abdul Aziz, Aramit AGM and Classic Trading owner Md Jahangir Alam, Aramit employee and Model Trading owner Md Mishababul Alam, Crescent Traders owner Syed Nurul Islam and Radius Trading owner Md Farid Uddin.
According to the case statement, the accused in collusion with each other abused power through fraud and deception.
The accused allegedly intimidated Saif Powertec Ltd and E-Engineering PLC鈥檚 managing director, Torfadar Ruhul Amin, a customer of UCB鈥檚 Mohakhali branch, and took Tk 41.75 crore in bribes from him in several instalments.
Later, the money was transferred and laundered abroad.
Earlier, on September 18, the commission filed a case against Saifuzzaman, his wife and 9 other people over allegations of taking Tk 52 crore in bribes from Abdul Kadir Molla, managing director of Thermex Group.
On September 18, a Chattogram metropolitan special judge court ordered the Police Headquarters to seek an Interpol red notice against Saifuzzaman and his wife in a money laundering case.
The ACC is conducting probes in several cases filed over allegations of embezzling and laundering money against Saifuzzaman and his wife, who was also former UCB chairperson.
Saifuzzaman, a former lawmaker from the Chattogram-13 constituency, served as state minister for land from 2014 to 2018 and as land minister from 2019 to 2023 during the Awami League regime.
Just a few days before the fall of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, amid a mass uprising, Saifuzzaman, his wife and other family members left for London.