A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of six apartments in Chattogram owned by former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, along with various machinery belonging to eight companies under his ownership.
The order was issued on Sunday (October 5) by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Foyez, following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
According to court and ACC sources, the petition was submitted by ACC Deputy Director Mashiur Rahman, who sought the confiscation of the six flats and machinery from eight companies linked to Saifuzzaman. After reviewing the petition, the court granted the request.
This latest court order follows a series of previous asset freezes targeting the former minister. On August 28, the court ordered the suspension of 120 bank accounts belonging to Saifuzzaman and individuals connected to him. Earlier, on July 9, it ordered the freezing of beneficiary owner (BO) accounts of Saifuzzaman and 26 associates.
On March 9, the court froze shares worth Tk 102.85 crore in 23 companies owned by Saifuzzaman and his family, along with 957 bighas of land. Before that, on March 5, the court ordered the freezing of 29 bank accounts that recorded transactions amounting to Tk 5.26 crore.
Last year, on October 7, the court imposed a travel ban on Saifuzzaman and his wife, Rukmila Zaman, following an ACC submission citing allegations of massive corruption and money laundering.
The ACC investigation found that Saifuzzaman had allegedly laundered thousands of crores of taka abroad and purchased extensive properties overseas—reportedly 350 houses in the United Kingdom, 228 in the United Arab Emirates, and nine in the United States, among others. He is also accused of amassing vast amounts of illicit wealth inside Bangladesh.
