A writ has been filed in the High Court seeking an inquiry into the illegal assets of former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been made a respondent in the writ.

Thursday (May 9) Supreme Court lawyer. Salahuddin wrote this writ in public interest.

The report was published in Jatiya Daily under the title ‘Former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury’s empire in UK’. A writ has been attached to the High Court with the report. A property on a private residential street in northwest London sold for $1.38 million (Tk. 152 crore) in 2022, reports said. A row of white town houses in one of the most affluent areas of the UK capital, a stone’s throw from Regent’s Park and Lord’s Cricket Ground. A property marketing company photo shows floor-to-ceiling windows, spiral staircases spanning several floors, theaters and gymnasiums.

The house is currently valued at over 180 crore rupees (£1.3 crore), according to property platforms. The house is owned by former land minister of Bangladesh Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed. However, according to the laws of Bangladesh, no citizen, resident and government employee of the country can take more than 12 thousand dollars (13 lakh 17 thousand rupees) out of the country in a year. Bangladesh law also has various restrictions on the transfer of funds abroad by corporations. Allowed only subject to fulfillment of certain conditions.

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury served as land minister for five years till last January. Since 2016, the company he owns has built a real estate empire in the UK by buying over 350 properties worth around 200 million British pounds (Tk 2,770 crore). The figures were obtained by the Bloomberg news agency based on UK Company House corporate accounts, mortgage charges and HM Land Registry transactions.

Bloomberg’s nearly 2,500-word investigative report also said his empire spans from luxury apartments in central London to the Hamlets, the largest residential tower for the Bangladeshi community in England, and student accommodation in Liverpool. An analysis of Javed’s nearly 250 properties shows that nearly 90 percent are bought new.