Staff Reporter:
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed two separate cases against former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed and others for allegedly embezzling Tk25 crore and Tk23 crore from the United Commercial Bank (UCB) PLC in the name of two fake business entities.
ACC Deputy Director (Public Relations) Md Akhtarul Islam confirmed it to the media on Thursday while addressing a press briefing at the ACC headquarters in the capital.
He said that the case was filed at the ACC’s Chattogram district office on Thursday by ACC Assistant Director Md Shoaib Ibne Alam.
At least 24 people, including Javed, his wife, former United Commercial Bank Limited (UCBL) Chairman Rukmila Zaman, sister Roksana Zaman Chowdhury, Afroza Zaman Chowdhury and UCBL officials, have been named in the case.
The case was filed under Sections 406/409/420/467/468/471/109 of the Penal Code 1860, Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947, and Section 4(2)(3) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2012.
The case stated that Syed Nurul Islam, a relative of Syed Kamruzzaman, the chief operating officer of Aramit Group owned by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, was disguised as a businessman, and a bank account was opened in the name of a fake company called “Crescent Traders”.
The account was opened without any verification at the Jubilee Road Branch of United Commercial Bank on 10 October of 2019. The bank officials approved the account illegally.
In February 2020, a loan application for Tk25 crore was submitted for working capital. The application was approved with the consent of the bank’s concerned officials and board of directors, although the application had 17 negative observations.
Of the loan amount, Tk24 crore was transferred to three separate bank accounts of “Malik Salt Industries Unit-2” and “Riverside Enterprise”, owned by a person named Abdul Khalek.
These funds were later used to repay a previous loan of Tk30 crore. The remaining Tk1 crore was withdrawn in cash from the account of “Crescent Traders” by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury’s employee Mohammad Yasinur Rahman.
Another case was filed against 23 people, including former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed, at the ACC’s Chattogram district office.
The case stated that in collusion with each other, the members of Aramit Group—owned by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury—committed fraud and forgery through abuse of power. They used an employee of Aramit Group as a front to falsely present him as the owner of a shell company named “Progressive Trading”. They submitted fake and false documents under this company’s name to secure a loan.
The sanctioned loan funds were then transferred/disbursed/converted into the accounts of various fake companies and eventually channelled into the bank accounts of Aramit Group. In doing so, they laundered the money by embezzling Tk23 crore from United Commercial Bank (UCB) PLC.
Earlier, two other cases were filed against Javed and his family members on charges of embezzling another Tk40 crore in the same process.
