Calls are being made for an investigation into the ex-Lands Minister’s British properties

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court (HC) on Thursday seeking a probe into allegations of buying over 350 properties (worth Tk2,770 crore) since 2016 against former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.

Advocate Md Salahuddin of the Supreme Court filed this writ petition in public interest.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) responded to the writ petition.

Md. Salahuddin said the writ petition could be heard in a Supreme Court hearing next week.

The summons cited a report published in a national daily titled “Ex-Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury’s Empire in the UK”.

The report claimed that former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury has purchased land in Britain since 2016 and has more than 350 properties worth £200 million (Tk2,770 crore).

The summons stated that a property on a private residential street in North West London sold for £13.8 million in 2022. According to the real estate platform, the house is currently worth more than Tk 180 million or £1.3 million and is owned by the former Land Minister. by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury from Bangladesh.

Under Bangladesh law, no citizen, resident or government employee is allowed to withdraw more than $12,000 (Tk1.317 million) from the country in a year. According to the summons, permission is only granted under certain conditions.

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury’s vast empire includes more than 350 properties, ranging from luxury apartments in central London to residential buildings in areas with significant Bangladeshi communities, Bloomberg News reported.

The international news agency also analyzed almost 250 of its UK properties and found that almost 90% were classified as new builds when purchased.