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In a significant development, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has frozen properties in the United Kingdom owned by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Bangladesh's former Minister of Land. This action, confirmed by an NCA spokesperson to Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit (I-Unit), coincides with a high-profile visit to London by Bangladesh's interim leader, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The move by the NCA, often referred to as "Britain's FBI," follows legal requests from Bangladeshi authorities to take action against assets owned by Chowdhury, a close political ally of deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the now-banned Awami League party. Chowdhury is currently under investigation by Bangladeshi authorities for alleged money laundering.
An NCA spokesperson confirmed the freezing order to the I-Unit, stating: "We can confirm that the NCA has secured freezing orders against a number of properties as part of an on-going civil investigation." This effectively means that Chowdhury can no longer sell these assets.
Al Jazeera's 'The Minister's Millions' Investigation
The freezing of assets comes after Al Jazeera's I-Unit last year revealed Chowdhury, 56, owned more than 350 properties in the UK. While the full extent of the NCA's action is not yet clear, the I-Unit has disclosed that Chowdhury’s luxury home in St John’s Wood, London, bought for an estimated £11 million ($14.8 million), is included in the asset freeze. This particular residence was the setting for secret filming by undercover reporters from Al Jazeera's I-Unit during a lengthy investigation into the wealth Chowdhury accumulated while serving as a government minister.
During the undercover meeting, Chowdhury reportedly spoke extensively about his global property portfolio and showcased his penchant for expensive suits and designer "baby croc" leather shoes. He also detailed his close ties to the now-deposed Sheikh Hasina, telling Al Jazeera's journalists, "I am like her son, actually," and adding, "She knows I have a business here."
Al Jazeera's investigation, titled 'The Minister's Millions' and broadcast last October, uncovered that Chowdhury, from a powerful family in the port city of Chittagong, amassed a vast property empire despite Bangladesh's currency laws limiting citizens to taking out only $12,000 annually. The documentary claimed Chowdhury spent over $500 million on real estate in London, Dubai, and New York but allegedly failed to declare these overseas assets on his Bangladeshi tax returns.
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury had been a staunch ally of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August 2024 following a crackdown on student protests that resulted in hundreds of deaths. After Hasina's departure, Bangladeshi authorities launched an investigation into widespread corruption allegations against her government.
Following the uprising and street violence in Bangladesh, Al Jazeera's I-Unit tracked Chowdhury to his London home, where he was observed taking leisurely walks in his exclusive neighbourhood, which is near Lord’s Cricket Ground. In earlier statements to Al Jazeera, Chowdhury maintained that the funds used to purchase his overseas properties originated from legitimate businesses outside Bangladesh, which he had owned for years. The former minister claimed he was the target of a politically motivated "witch-hunt."
