UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has obtained freezing orders on two London properties owned by Ahmed Shayan Fazlur Rahman, son of Salman F Rahman, who is currently in jail in Dhaka, reports popular UK newspaper the Financial Times.
The properties are a luxury apartment at 17 Grosvenor Square in London, which was purchased in 2010 for £6.5mn and another at Gresham Gardens in north London, which was acquired for £1.2mn the following year, the filings show.
“We can confirm that the NCA has secured freezing orders against property in 17 Grosvenor Square, London, and Gresham Gardens, London, as part of an ongoing civil investigation. We cannot comment further at this time,” the NCA was quoted as saying by the Financial Times.
Sheikh Rehana, the sister of Sheikh Hasina and mother of former UK City minister Tulip Siddiq, has lived at the Gresham Gardens property, according to UK electoral roll records, though it is not clear whether she still resides there, the report said.
According to the FT report, the Bangladesh Bank is working with British law enforcement agencies to bring back money embezzled by some allies of the previous regime. Officials from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and from HMRC are believed to have visited Dhaka to support the work of investigators late last year, The Financial Times said.
A source familiar with the investigation said, “It concerns hundreds of millions of pounds laundered from Bangladesh by purchasing properties in London. The properties which Siddiq now owns could well be in scope here.
A spokesman for the NCA said the agency does not routinely confirm or deny the existence of investigations. Senior representatives of the Bangladesh Bank have also discussed general seizure and return of assets to the country in a meeting late last year.
The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has been leading efforts to freeze bank accounts and seize assets of those it suspects of wrongdoing.
On 7 January, the BFIU asked for bank account details of Tulip Siddiq.
The anti-money laundering agency has also sought details of the accounts of her family members, including Tulip’s sister Azmina Siddique, her brother Radwan Mujib Siddiq and mother Sheikh Rehana.
The BFIU had previously sought bank account information of Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed.
Earlier on 24 December, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) wrote to the BFIU, seeking all documents related to local and international transactions of Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, alongside Tulip Siddiq.
This information was requested as part of an inquiry into allegations of Tk21,000 crore embezzlement from eight projects against them.
According to The Financial Times, the anti-graft watchdog said it would investigate claims that Siddiq brokered and benefited from a nuclear power deal Bangladesh signed with Russia in 2013. Siddiq says she is the victim of “trumped-up” charges.
A UK Treasury spokesman said, “The former economic secretary [Tulip] was not involved in policy-making that has a direct link to Bangladesh.
