Dhaka: The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated a legal case against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, his wife Rukmila Zaman, who is the former chairman of UCB PLC, and eight others. They are charged with bribery and money laundering amounting to Tk 41.75 crore.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the other individuals implicated in the case include Former UCB PLC director Syed Kamruzzaman, proprietor of Imperial Trading and AGM of Aramit PLC Md. Abdul Aziz, owner of Classic Trading and AGM of Aramit PLC Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Aramit PLC official Mohammad Misbahul Alam, owner of Crescent Traders Syed Nurul Islam, and owner of Radius Trading Md. Farid Uddin. Deputy Assistant Director of the ACC head office Md. Rubel Hossain filed the case as the plaintiff, confirmed by the Public Relations Officer of the ACC Md. Akhtarul Islam at the Commission’s head office.
The case statement alleges that the accused conspired to extort Tk 41.75 crore from Saif Powertech Limited, a client of UCBL’s Mohakhali branch, and Tarafdar Ruhul Amin, Managing Director of E-Engineering PLC. The funds were subsequently laundered overseas through various fictitious organizations.
The ACC’s investigation uncovered that in August 2020, a loan application was submitted on behalf of Saif Powertech Ltd. and E-Engineering Ltd. at UCBL’s Mohakhali branch. The bank’s board sanctioned a loan of Tk 174.80 crore in September of the same year, of which Tk 41.75 crore was allegedly paid as bribes through five fake entities.
The ACC also highlighted that during Saifuzzaman Chowdhury’s tenure as minister, he wielded undue influence over UCBL Bank’s operations through his ownership and directorship roles. He further appointed his wife as the chairman of the board, reportedly using his position to pressure bank officials and extort bribes from businessmen.