Several properties worth millions in Dubai, UK, US, former minister in Hasina’s…, Yunus demands return of…

His properties range from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai to London.

Dhaka: Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, who served as a minister in the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, has been accused of corruption amounting to billions. Chowdhury is accused of manipulating while in office to purchase properties in the USA, UAE, and the UK. The caretaker government of Bangladesh, led by Mohammad Yunus, wants to recover billions of dollars sent out of Bangladesh along with Hasina’s return from India.

The Yunus government claims that Hasina’s associates illegally sent this money out of the country during her tenure. The most prominent name that has emerged in this is Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.

The Financial Times (FT) has claimed in a report that former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury of the Hasina government has properties around the world. The report mentions Chowdhury’s real estate empire spread across the globe. According to the report, these properties were acquired when Sheikh Hasina’s government was in power in Bangladesh and Chowdhury was a ruling party MP and minister. He is accused of misusing his position to amass wealth.

482 properties around the world

Between 1992 and 2024, Chowdhury and his family purchased 482 properties worth 295 million dollars in major cities around the world. Chowdhury’s properties range from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai to London. The majority of Chowdhury’s 315 properties are in the UK, followed by 142 in Dubai and 25 in the USA. These properties have put Chowdhury in the crosshairs of the Yunus government. The investigation focuses on the period from 2009 to 2024, when Sheikh Hasina was serving as Bangladesh’s PM for the second consecutive time, reports FT.

Chaudhary’s rapid increase in wealth occurred after he became the land minister in 2019. Before being appointed the land minister, Chaudhary had been a member of her party for over five years. In 2023, he declared assets worth 2.3 million dollars in the Bangladesh parliament, which did not match his overseas assets.

The allegations against Chaudhary could also complicate matters for Sheikh Hasina. Chaudhary’s father too was close to Sheikh Hasina.

Mohammad Yunus’s government claims that from 2009 to 2024, Sheikh Hasina’s government caused Bangladesh an annual loss of 16 billion dollars due to money laundering. Politicians have misused the government to control large commercial banks. Dhaka has appointed international consulting firms to review the asset quality of Bangladesh’s banks. A joint investigation team has also been formed to investigate the assets of 10 major families, including Hasina.