Bank accounts of ex-land minister's brother Anisuzzaman, his wife and children frozen

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has asked various banks and financial institutions across the country to freeze accounts of Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, former director of United Commercial Bank (UCB) and brother of former land minister, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.

The accounts of his wife, Imrana Zaman Chowdhury, and daughter, Anisha Zaman, have also been frozen.

The Business Standard has obtained a copy of the letter the BFIU sent to different banks and financial institutions recently.

As per the directive, all transactions through the accounts of Anisuzzaman, his wife, and daughter, including those of any businesses under their ownership, are to be suspended for an initial period of 30 days in accordance with the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The move comes after a documentary titled "The Minister's Millions" by Al Jazeera's investigative team, known as the "I Unit" showed that Saifuzzaman Chowdhury owns 360 properties in the UK, most of which were acquired from top real estate developers like Berkeley Group. 

The current market value of these properties is estimated at $320 million, equivalent to over Tk3,824 crore. In addition to his UK properties, he also owns assets in the United States and Dubai.

Like his brother, Anisuzzaman Chowdhury is also believed to hold assets abroad, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Dubai, according to various sources.

He and his brother Saifuzzaman Chowdhury are the children of late Awami League leader Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury, a prominent leader of the ruling Awami League.

The UCB Bank was under their control right till the fall of the previous Hasina-led government, after which the boards of several banks, including UCB, were dissolved. 

On 27 August, the board of UCB was restructured, fully freeing the bank from the control of the Chowdhury family