Travel ban on Saifuzzaman, S Alam, Nafeez despite reports they're abroad

A Dhaka court has imposed a travel ban on former Padma Bank chairman Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat, former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, S Alam Group owner Mohammed Saiful Alam, and their relatives, even as media reports suggest that they are already out of the country.

Others who come under the travel ban include Saiful Alam's wife Farzana Parveen, 11 of their family members, and Saifuzzaman Chowdhury's wife Rukmila Zaman.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Ash Shams Zaglul Hossain issued the order as the court allowed pleas of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the matter.

ACC lawyer Amir Hossain told the media that the ban was imposed to facilitate investigations into various corruption allegations against them, including money laundering.

When asked why the ban was imposed despite media reports suggesting that all individuals involved are already out of the country, Amir Hossain said the ACC does not have clear information about their whereabouts.

He added that the applications were filed to seek the travel ban as legal measures for assisting in the investigation against the accused considering the importance of the complaints.

ACC Deputy Director Md Masudur Rahman appealed for the travel ban on Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat.

According to the plea, Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat has been accused of embezzling a substantial amount of money and smuggling it abroad by defrauding customers through bribery, corruption, fraud, and abuse of power.

It also noted that reports indicate that he has amassed significant wealth in various parts of the country and Canada by misusing his official position and political connections. Additionally, he is trying to steer public sentiment in his favour by publishing various news and advertisements in national dailies from unknown locations, it added.

He may flee the country at any time and it will hamper the investigation. So, a travel ban is needed to prevent him from going abroad, ACC official Masudur Rahman said in the application.

On the other hand, investigation officer Md Nur-e-Alam filed the petition, pleading for a travel ban on Saiful Alam, owner of S Alam Group, his wife and family members.

S Alam's family members, who were barred from travelling abroad, are his sons Ashraful Alam and Ahsanul Alam, brothers Morshedul Alam, Sahidul Alam, Rashedul Alam, Abdus Samad, Osman Gani and Mohammad Abdullah Hasan, sister-in-law Shahana Ferdous, Ferjana Begum and one Mishkat Ahmed.

ACC Deputy Director Ram Prasad Mondal sought the ban on former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman to prevent them from travelling abroad.

According to the plea, Saifuzzaman is accused of amassing and laundering billions to different foreign states, especially the United Kingdom. The former land minister has allegedly bought 350 properties in the UK, 228 in the UAE and nine in the US in his name and in the names of his family members.

"According to different records, it appears that Saifuzzaman through the graft money made huge properties in the country as well. From reliable sources, we are assuming that the accused and his wife may try to escape from the country. So a travel ban should be imposed on them in the interest of proper investigation," the ACC plea said.