The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating the assets of 73 Bangladeshis suspected of acquiring properties in Dubai with allegedly laundered money, including former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, former Premier Bank chairman HBM Iqbal and former Padma Bank chairman Chowdhury Nafis Sarafat.

As part of the investigation, the ACC is preparing to send a Mutual Legal Assistance Request (MLAR) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), seeking information and documents on the properties and related financial transactions.

ACC sources said the individuals under investigation allegedly own flats and houses in Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah, two of Dubai’s most affluent areas. Some of them have also reportedly obtained the UAE’s Golden Visa.

ACC Deputy Director (Public Relations) Aktarul Islam said the investigation team recently wrote to the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) seeking information about assets allegedly purchased in Dubai with laundered money.

The team has also gathered information from several government agencies, he said.

The ACC has collected records of the 73 individuals from the Election Commission, National Board of Revenue and Department of Immigration and Passports.

ACC Deputy Director Alamgir Hossain and Assistant Director Ashikur Rahman are leading the investigation.

The commission identified the 73 individuals after examining records obtained from the EC, NBR, Department of Immigration and Passports and other agencies.

The 73 individuals are Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, HBM Iqbal, Chowdhury Nafis Sarafat, Ahsanul Karim, Anjuman Ara Shahid, Humayra Selim, Juran Chandra Bhowmik, Md Rabbi Khan, Mohammad Golam Mostofa, Mohammad Oliur Rahman, SA Khan Ikhtekhuruzzaman, Syed Fahim Ahmed, Syed Hasnain, Syed Mahmudul Haque, Syed Ruhul Haque, Golam Mohammad Bhuiya, Haji Mostofa Bhuiya, Monoj Kanti Pal, Md Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury, Md Mahbubul Haque Sarker, Md Selim Reza, Mohammad Elias Bajlur Rahman, SU Ahmed, Shehtaz Munshi Khan, AKM Fazlur Rahman, Abu Yusuf Md Abdullah, Gulzar Alam Chowdhury, Hasan Ashik Taimur Islam, Hasan Reza Mahidul Islam, Khaled Mahmud, M Sajjad Alam, Mohammad Yasin Ali, Mostofa Amir Faisal, Rifat Ali Bhuiya, Salimul Haque Isa/Hakim Mohammad Isa, Syed AK Anwaruzzaman/Syed Kamruzzaman, Syed Salman Masud, Syed Saimul Haque, Abdul Hai Sarker, Ahmed Samir Pasha, Fahmida Shabnam Chaiti, Md Abul Kalam, Fatema Begum Kamal, Mohammad Al Ruman Khan, Mainul Haque Siddiqui, Munia Awan, Sadik Hossain Md Shakil, Abdullah Mamun Maruf, Mohammad Arman Hossain, Mohammad Shawkat Hossain Siddiqui, Mostofa Jamal Naser, Ahmed Imran Chowdhury, Billal Hossain, MA Hashem, Mohammad Main Uddin Chowdhury, Natasha Noor Mumu, Syed Mizan Mohammad Abu Hanif Siddiqui, Sayeda Durrak Sinda Zara, Ahmed Iffzal Chowdhury, Farhana Monem, Farzana Anjum Khan, KH Mashiur Rahman, MA Salam, Md Ali Hossain, Mohammad Imdadul Haque Bhorsa, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Rohen Kabir, Monjila Morshed, Mohammad Sanaullah Chowdhury, Mohammad Sarful Islam, Syed Rafiqul Alam and Anisuzzaman Chowdhury.

The ACC has not disclosed the professional identities of all those under scrutiny, as the investigation is still ongoing.

The inquiry stems from a Supreme Court directive issued on 16 January 2023, asking the ACC and other relevant authorities to investigate allegations of Bangladeshi citizens acquiring assets in Dubai.

According to data cited by the Centre for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) and the EU Tax Observatory, 459 Bangladeshis owned 972 properties in Dubai in 2020, with a combined recorded value of around $313 million. A C4ADS study published in May 2022 estimated the value at about $315 million.

The study found that 64 of the properties were in Dubai Marina and 19 in Palm Jumeirah. It also identified at least 100 villas and five buildings owned by Bangladeshi nationals.

Four or five Bangladeshis were reportedly linked to properties worth around $44 million.

Source: The Daily Star