A Dhaka court has ordered authorities to seek Interpol red notices against three senior officials of the controversial S Alam Group — Chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam, Vice Chairman Abdus Samad, and Director Mohammad Abdullah Hasan — in connection with a large-scale corruption and money laundering case.
Senior Special Judge Sabbir Foyez issued the order on Thursday (25 September) following a petition by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), represented by Deputy Director Tahsin Munabil Haque. ACC spokesperson Akhtarul Islam confirmed the development.
According to the ACC petition, the accused allegedly created a fictitious company named AM Trading, forged documents, and embezzled Tk 104.20 crore under the guise of loans.
It further alleges that Saiful Alam laundered Tk 340 crore from the misappropriated funds for the benefit of S Alam Super Edible Oil. The offences fall under sections 409, 109, 420, 467, 468, 471 of the Penal Code, 1860, and sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.
The ACC stated that repeated attempts to arrest the accused during the investigation had failed as they were abroad. The petition requested the Home Ministry to take steps to secure their arrest through Interpol.
This order comes on the heels of a series of court actions targeting S Alam Group and its top officials.
On 9 July, a court froze bank accounts of Mohammad Saiful Alam and related entities across 53 banks, holding more than Tk 113 crore.
Earlier, on 24 June, authorities moved to seize properties and investments including a two-storey house in Limassol, Cyprus; $350,000 invested in Hazek International PTE Ltd in the British Virgin Islands; stakes in Peacock Property Holdings; and interests in 18 other offshore companies.
Courts have also ordered the seizure of land, shares, trust funds, and bank accounts linked to Saiful Alam and his associates over the past year, including thousands of crores of taka in assets and investments.
In October last year, the court imposed a travel ban on Saiful Alam, his wife Farzana Parveen, and 12 other family members.
