The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has frozen all assets belonging to former Bangladeshi land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, according to an official statement posted Sunday on the chief adviser’s official Facebook page.
The post stated: “The UK’s decision to freeze the assets of former Awami League minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Zaved marks the single largest asset freeze linked to an individual in the history of the National Crime Agency.”
The action follows a special investigative report by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit), which confirmed the development on June 11.
According to the report, an NCA spokesperson said in a statement: “As part of an ongoing civil investigation, the NCA has secured freezing orders against multiple properties owned by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.”
The freezing order prohibits the former minister from selling or transferring any of the identified assets.
Al Jazeera had previously exposed details of Saifuzzaman’s wealth in its documentary “The Minister’s Millions”, revealing that he owns more than 350 properties in the UK, including a lavish mansion in London’s upscale St John’s Wood area, valued at approximately £11 million (around Tk148 crore). This property is also included in the NCA’s freezing order.
Sources indicate that the UK authorities acted upon a formal request from Bangladesh’s interim government, which sought action against Chowdhury’s overseas holdings. Many observers have credited Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus for his pivotal role in initiating the move, with several public figures thanking him after the decision was made public.
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, a key figure in the now-ousted Awami League government and a close confidant of former PM Sheikh Hasina, hails from an influential family in the port city of Chattogram. Following the July uprising that led to the fall of Hasina’s regime, Chowdhury reportedly fled the country.