The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh has formally requested the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to freeze the assets of Bashundhara Group’s Vice Chairman Safiat Sobhan (Sanvir) and Co-Chairman Sadat Sobhan.
The ACC Chairman, Mohammad Abdul Momen, disclosed the development at a press conference on Monday at the commission’s headquarters in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha.
He stated, “Recovering laundered assets is a complicated process, but we are making efforts. If we can prove the cases both in our courts and in foreign jurisdictions, repatriation of these assets will be possible.”
In addition to Bashundhara Group officials, the ACC has also sent letters to the UK authorities requesting the freezing of assets belonging to Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, brother of former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, and Mohammad Adnan Imam, former Chairman of the Executive Committee of NRB Commercial Bank.
During the press briefing, the ACC Chairman was asked about Tulip Siddiq, niece of Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In response, Momen said, “Regardless of how much Tulip Siddiq claims to be a British citizen, our documents show she is a Bangladeshi citizen.
We are proceeding according to our laws against our citizen. If she is innocent, why did she step down from her ministerial post? Why did her lawyer send us a letter?”
The ACC has brought allegations against Tulip Siddiq of illegally acquiring land in Bangladesh during the tenure of her aunt, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Tulip Siddiq, who served as a former Treasury Minister in the United Kingdom, has denied all charges and claimed that she is the target of politically motivated attacks by Bangladeshi authorities.
