Staff Reporter:
A Dhaka court on Tuesday ordered the confiscation of the properties of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and seven members of the family, worth Tk 143 crore in foreign countries.
Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge Md Zakir Hossain passed the order on November 21 following a peti-tion filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The other members of the family are- Afroza Begm, wife of Akbar Sobhan, her three sons—Sayem Sobhan Anvir, Safiat Sobhan and Safwan Sobhan, three daughters-in-law- Sabrina Sobhan, Sania Ferdousi Sobhan and Yasha Sobhan.
The ACC informed that they have movable and immovable property worth Tk 143 crore and they have properties in foreign countries.
According to the ACC investigation report, the accused have taken bank loans from the bank in the name of different companies and a portion of the amount of money used to purchase assets in foreign coun-tries.
They also invested the money in 19 companies in different countries.
Mir Ahmed Salam, Public Prosecutor said the court asked to send the copy of the court order to the company concerned in Singapore, Switzerland, UK, UAE, Slovakia, Cypress, Saint Kitts and Nevis and British Virgin.
Apart from it, it also asked to submit the same copy to the Home Ministry, ACC and Bangladesh Finan-cial Intelligence Unit (BFIU).
Bashundhara MD Anvir got citizenship of Slovakia after investing 30 lakh Euro and Yasha Sobhan got the citizenship of Cypress in exchange of 20 lakh Euro while Akabr and his wife Afroza got the citizen-ship of Saint Kitts and Nevis in exchange of 2.5 crore dollar.
ACC also found that Safwan and Sonia Ferdousi opened accounts in the UAE’s Habib Bank and Cy-press’s Euro Bank.
On October 21, the court also imposed a travel ban on the Bashundhara Group chairman and his family members.
On October 6, the court also ordered the property of them.
