Court orders issuing Interpol red notice against former land minister Saifuzzaman, wife
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has recovered 23 sacks of documents on the foreign assets of former land minister
A Chattogram court has ordered the issuance of an Interpol "Red Notice" against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman, in connection with multiple cases of financial fraud and money laundering.
Acting Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Abdur Rahman issued the order today (21 September) following a hearing on a petition submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Confirming the development, ACC lawyer Mokarram Hossain told The Business Standard, "We submitted the application last Thursday. After today's hearing, the court granted the request to issue a Red Notice against Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife."
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Officials from the ACC stated that the Red Notice will be sent to Interpol via the inspector general of police (IGP), aiming to ensure legal action against the couple regardless of their location or the placement of their assets.
Fresh leads from close associates
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has unearthed more information on the foreign assets of former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed.
In addition to 582 assets identified in the United Kingdom, United States, Dubai and Singapore, he is also found to own properties in India, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Cambodia, ACC Deputy Director Aktarul Islam told The Business Standard this morning (21 September).
According to ACC sources, at 4:15am, total of 23 sacks of documents regarding Saifuzzaman's Aramit Group were recovered from a shop in Shikalbaha Union under Karnaphuli Police Station in Chattogram.
The raid followed the arrest and remand of two of Saifuzzaman's close aides, Abdul Aziz and Utpal Pal, on Wednesday (17 September) in the city's Double Mooring area.
Massive loan fraud and asset seizure
Saifuzzaman, a senior Awami League leader, served as state minister for land from 2014-2018 and as land minister from 2019-2023. Allegations of building vast overseas wealth surfaced ahead of the 2024 general election.
On 7 October 2024, a travel ban was imposed on the couple, preventing them from leaving the country.
However, according to media reports, Saifuzzaman left for London with his wife and family on 5 August 2024, shortly before the fall of the Awami League government amid a student-led uprising.
The former minister and his wife are accused of embezzling hundreds of crores of taka from United Commercial Bank (UCB) by taking loans in the name of fake companies.
On 5 March, the court ordered the freezing of 39 bank accounts under their names, containing more than Tk5.26 crore. The court also seized shares worth Tk102 crore and 315 acres of land.
On 17 April 2024, a case was filed accusing them of misappropriating Tk20 crore in fraudulent loans.
In light of the investigation, the court has ordered the seizure of their overseas assets, which include 343 properties in the UK, 228 properties in the UAE and 9 properties in the US.
On 11 June 2025, the UK's National Crime Agency froze assets linked to Saifuzzaman, valued at an estimated £73.15 million (approximately Tk1,025 crore). These include flats, plots, and shares in 10 offshore companies. At a press conference held on 16 June, ACC Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen confirmed the figures, stating that a preliminary list of suspected money launderers, including Saifuzzaman, had been shared with UK authorities during a recent official visit.
On 4 September, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a case under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, alleging that the couple laundered approximately Tk1,200 crore to the UAE.
On 16 September, the ACC has filed a case against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and 24 others, including his wife, senior bank officials, and former United Commercial Bank (UCB) directors, over allegations of loan fraud and money laundering worth Tk21 crore.
The case, filed by Sub-Assistant Director Md Rubel Hosen with the ACC's Integrated District Office, Dhaka-1, accuses the former minister of abusing political influence and bank connections to secure fraudulent loans in the name of a shell company linked to his family business group.
On 18 September, the ACC filed a fresh case against Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and 10 others today, alleging charges of receiving Tk52 crore in bribes, fraud, and abuse of power.
According to ACC Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam, the accused colluded to commit fraud by intimidating Abdul Kadir Molla, the managing director of Thermex Group, into paying Tk52 crore as bribes. The money was then transferred and laundered abroad. The accused in this case also include Chowdhury's wife, Rukmila Zaman, along with several executives from his business group.
So far, the ACC has traced illegal assets worth around Tk6,000 crore, both at home and abroad, linked to Saifuzzaman Chowdhury under various names and entities.
According to ACC records, Saifuzzaman and his wife hold significant shares in Aramit Cement PLC, Aramit PLC, Aramit Poly Boards Ltd, Aramit Lube Oil Ltd, Aramit Marble Ltd, Aramit Steel Mills Ltd, Aramit Thai Aluminum Ltd, Aramit Footwear Ltd, Aramit Steel Pipes Ltd, Aramit Metals Ltd, Aramit Alu Composite Panels, Aramit Power Ltd, Asif Super Steel Mills Ltd, Asif Synthetic Fibers Ltd, Javed Steel Mills Ltd, Nahar Metals Ltd, Chittagong Shipyard Ltd, Synthetic Resin Products (Pvt) Ltd, Vanguard Steel Ltd, Diesel Motor & Services, and four asset management firms – Ardent, Legendary, Luminous, and Prolific.
Additionally, Saifuzzaman is linked to 14 other enterprises and trading houses, including Vision Trading, Crescent Traders, Eminent Traders, Classic Trading, Model Trading, Imperial Trading, Alpha Traders, Pragati Enterprise, Moon Star Traders, Dream Enterprise, Shahadat and Brothers, Anchor Trading, and Shah Amanat Enterprise.
