The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has seized 23 bags of evidence related to the assets of former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed. The discovery was made based on information provided by his two close associates, Utpal Pal and Abdul Aziz, who are currently in remand on money laundering and embezzlement charges.
The bags containing the evidence were confiscated from a house in the Shikolbaha area of Karnaphuli, Chittagong, on Sunday morning.
ACC Deputy Director Mashiur Rahman told Economics Today, “We arrested two close associates of the former Land Minister. They are currently on a five-day remand. Based on the information they provided, we learned that many documents had been hidden at the home of Rukhmila Zaman’s driver, Ilyas. We conducted a raid there on Friday, but the bags were moved just before we arrived.”
He added, “We later reviewed CCTV footage from the house, which showed the evidence was removed about half an hour before our team arrived. Following that lead, we seized 23 bags of evidence from a small house.”
“Upon opening some of the bags, we found documents related to payments for purchasing foreign assets, rent collection, bill payments, and court orders. We are still in the process of reviewing all the evidence,” he confirmed.
The Accused and Their Roles
Utpal Pal and Abdul Aziz were arrested by an ACC team on September 17 and were remanded for five days. They were shown arrested in a case related to the embezzlement and laundering of BDT 25 crore from United Commercial Bank (UCBL).
According to the ACC, Utpal Pal, an AGM at Aramit Group, acted as the mastermind behind the money laundering, facilitating the transfer of funds to the UK and other countries via Dubai. Abdul Aziz, an AGM at Aramit Thai Aluminum Limited, was responsible for managing the former minister’s assets, including their purchase, sale, and maintenance. Two laptops and two mobile phones were seized from Utpal Pal, with a forensic analysis pending court permission.
The Embezzlement Case
The ACC filed a case on July 24 against 31 individuals, including the former minister, his wife Rukhmila Zaman, and his sister Roksana Zaman Chowdhury. The case alleges that five shell companies—Vision Trading, Alpha Traders, Classic Trading, Model Trading, and Imperial Trading—were opened in the names of employees of the minister’s Aramit Group.
These companies secured a BDT 25 crore time loan from UCBL’s Chittagong Port branch for importing wheat, chickpeas, turmeric, and peas. The bank’s credit committee had raised 17 negative observations about the loan, but the board of directors approved it on March 8, 2020. The funds were then allegedly transferred to four other accounts at the same bank and later withdrawn in cash.
The charge sheet states that the loan was approved due to a coordinated conspiracy involving bank directors, applicants, and approvers who were all relatives or close associates. The loan money, after being withdrawn, was reportedly deposited into the Aramit Group’s account at UCBL’s Bahaddarhat branch.
The accused are charged with offenses under sections 406, 409, 420, 471, and 109 of the Penal Code, as well as provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act and the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
