Finding treasure trove in corruption cases

Highlights:

• Courts imposed record corruption fines after Awami League's 2024 fall
• 2025 fines totalled Tk5,060 crore; asset confiscations hit Tk321 crore
• Nearly Tk1,500 crore deposited, far above Tk81 crore 2024
• ACC disposed 267 cases; convictions 134; many high-profile defendants
• Asset seizures and freezes reached Tk30,352 crore, unprecedented levels
• Experts warn appeals, enforcement challenges; urge robust defense, legal reforms

When a Dhaka court last year fined contractor GK Shamim nearly Tk300 crore and ordered the confiscation of cash, foreign currency and fixed deposits linked to his family, it sent a strong signal that long-dormant corruption cases were finally moving. Weeks earlier, another court had imposed more than Tk525 crore in fines and ordered the seizure of assets worth about Tk121 crore in the Hallmark loan scam — one of the country's most notorious financial scandals.

Together, the verdicts reflected a broader shift after the fall of the Awami League government in 2024, as courts accelerated proceedings in corruption cases against figures once considered untouchable. In 2025 alone, courts ordered the recovery of around Tk5,060 crore in fines and the confiscation of assets worth Tk321 crore, both record highs, according to data from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Nearly Tk1,500 crore has already been deposited in the state treasury following trial court verdicts and final rulings by the Appellate Division, compared with just Tk81 crore in 2024. Senior ACC officials said the scale of fines and confiscations ordered last year is unprecedented in the commission's history.

In 2025, courts ordered the recovery of around Tk5,060 crore in fines after disposing of cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) — four times the amount imposed in 2024. Following verdicts by trial courts and final rulings by the Appellate Division, nearly Tk1,500 crore has already been deposited in the state treasury, compared with just Tk81 crore the previous year.

Infograph: TBS

Senior ACC officials said verdicts ordering recovery on such a scale are unprecedented. Under the law, all fines and confiscated assets must be deposited in the state treasury.

Courts also ordered the confiscation of assets worth about Tk321 crore in favour of the state in 2025 — nearly 27 times higher than in 2024. According to the ACC, no previous year has seen confiscations of this magnitude.

Constitutional expert Shahdeen Malik told The Business Standard that the volume of fines and confiscations is "truly unprecedented" and represents a positive development for the state.

"The economy, which has been badly battered by corruption, could find some room for recovery if court orders on fines and confiscated assets are enforced properly," he said.

However, Malik cautioned that most verdicts were delivered by trial courts and are likely to be challenged in the High Court and Appellate Division. He urged the ACC to prepare robustly to defend these rulings on appeal.

ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain said assets can be seized even before the final disposal of a case, in which instance they remain in government custody while defendants retain the right to appeal.

"Final confiscation takes place only after the trial process is complete," he added.

Sources at the ACC and the courts said all fines and confiscated assets are deposited in the state treasury in accordance with the law and are intended for public expenditure. Most of the cases disposed of last year were between eight and ten years old, including several high-profile matters.

Last year, the ACC seized and froze assets worth over Tk30,352 crore under court orders, setting a new record. In the previous five years combined, the ACC had confiscated only Tk3,408 crore

How many cases, how much in fines

Data from the relevant wing of the ACC show that 267 cases were disposed of between January and December 2025. Of these, 134 resulted in convictions, while the remaining defendants were acquitted.

Courts imposed fines totalling Tk5,060.55 crore in the convicted cases. Final verdicts in 41 cases at the Appellate Division and High Court Division have already enabled the ACC to recover nearly Tk1,500 crore.

By comparison, courts imposed fines of Tk1,147.33 crore in 2024 from 295 disposed cases, with convictions in 138 cases. In 2023, fines totalled Tk1,600.84 crore from 313 cases, including 195 convictions. In 2022, fines reached Tk2,600.32 crore from 346 cases, while in 2021 courts ordered recovery of just Tk75.18 crore from 176 disposed cases.

In cases concluded last year where courts handed down prison sentences alongside fines, verdicts also ordered the confiscation of assets worth Tk321.88 crore. By contrast, confiscation orders amounted to Tk11.75 crore in 2024, Tk17.97 crore in 2023, Tk13.96 crore in 2022 and Tk10.20 crore in 2021.

According to the commission, assets seized in 2024 totalled Tk361 crore, in 2023 Tk415 crore, in 2022 Tk810 crore, in 2021 Tk1,488 crore, and in 2020 Tk333 crore. This means the amount seized in 2025 alone is nearly ten times the total of the previous five years

High-profile cases

All the large scale corruption went on unhindered involving powerful individuals. 

Former ACC Director General Md Moidul Islam said large-scale corruption in the past had flourished under political patronage, leaving the commission reluctant or unable to act at the time.

"The ACC did not move to seize or freeze assets before 2015, and even afterwards such actions mostly targeted small-time offenders," he said.

"After 5 August, the ACC began taking action against previously untouchable figures, which is why such a large volume of assets has been seized and frozen this year."

However, he stressed that enforcement after court orders remains critical. "Issuing an order is only the first step; proper implementation is a separate challenge," he said.

How fines go to treasury

ACC Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam told TBS that when courts deliver verdicts, the law requires the full amount to be deposited in the state treasury. 

He said that in cases where appeals are filed in the High Court and Appellate Division, the courts take a final decision on the matter after those appeals are disposed of.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said such a large volume of fines and confiscated assets is undoubtedly welcome news. 

However, he added that the ACC must play a stronger role to ensure these assets ultimately come into the state's possession and are put to public use.

Record asset freezes and seizures

Last year, the ACC seized and froze assets worth over Tk30,352 crore under court orders, setting a new record. In the previous five years combined, the ACC had confiscated only Tk3,408 crore.

According to the commission, assets seized in 2024 totalled Tk361 crore, in 2023 Tk415 crore, in 2022 Tk810 crore, in 2021 Tk1,488 crore, and in 2020 Tk333 crore. This means the amount seized in 2025 alone is nearly ten times the total of the previous five years.

Moidul Islam said that once a case is finally disposed of, assets will be confiscated if the accused is convicted, but returned if the accused is acquitted, with a receiver appointed in the interim.

A former ACC commissioner told TBS that the government could make these seized and frozen assets productive if managed effectively, transparently, and securely.

He added that currently, assets seized under the ACC and the Money Laundering Prevention Act are usually frozen in bank current or savings accounts for years. Since these accounts are typically non-interest-bearing, the real value of the funds diminishes over time.

Given that cases often take eight to ten years to conclude, he said legal reforms are urgently needed to allow the government to utilise these funds and earn interest during the interim period.