Ex-land minister Saifuzzaman's BO accounts with Tk576cr frozen
A Dhaka court has ordered authorities concerned to freeze 26 beneficiary owner (BO) accounts linked to former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, his associates, and entities connected to him, involving assets worth Tk576.08 crore.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib issued the order today (9 July), after hearing a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said the commission's Public Relations Officer Akhtarul Islam.
The move comes as part of an ongoing ACC investigation into allegations of money laundering.
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According to the ACC, a seven-member investigation team has been formed to probe money laundering allegations against the former minister.
During the investigation, confidential sources revealed attempts to liquidate or transfer the assets in the BO accounts, prompting the ACC to seek immediate action to prevent potential financial losses to the state, the ACC said in its plea.
Earlier, on 17 June, the British government seized Tk1,060 crore worth of assets allegedly laundered by Saifuzzaman to the United Kingdom.
On 5 March, a Dhaka court also ordered the freezing of 39 bank accounts belonging to him, which held deposits totalling Tk5.26 crore.
Additionally, on 17 October last year, the same court ordered the seizure of 580 immovable properties, including homes, apartments, and land owned by Saifuzzaman and his family in Bangladesh and abroad. These include 343 properties in the UK, 228 in the UAE, and nine in the US.
