The court has ordered the seizure of immovable assets including 580 houses/apartments/land in the name of former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his family. Of these, 343 are in the UK, 228 in the UAE and nine in the US.

Apart from this, two bank accounts of United Arab Emirates and one bank account of Bangladesh have been ordered to be blocked. On Thursday, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and several sources of the court confirmed this information.

ACC Deputy Director Ram Prasad Mondal on Wednesday applied to freeze the movable and immovable properties owned by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman. After the hearing, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Assamach Jaglul Hossain ordered the seizure of the former minister's property and the blocking of his bank account. ACC Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir heard the matter. Among the seized properties are two apartments in Chittagong.

This includes HM Land Registry, England and Wales, in the case of seizure of immovable property; The court ordered the Dubai Land Department of the United Arab Emirates and the State Registrar of the United States, New York and Florida and the authorities of Dubai Islamic Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Janata Bank of Bangladesh to freeze the bank accounts.

According to the ACC application, Saifuzzaman has acquired 343 properties in the UK, 228 properties in the United Arab Emirates and nine properties in the United States, including houses/apartments/land and other immovable assets. Such information has emerged in the review of land registry and other information and records of the concerned country. The assets were purchased by him and his family between 2015 and 2024, during which he served as the Minister of State and Minister of Lands in the Government of Bangladesh.

Saifuzzaman was the chairman of United Commercial Bank. Later his wife Rukmila Zaman was the chairman of this institution from 2017 to 2024. ACC also found out that he had taken a loan anonymously from this bank.

According to the ACC sources, the review of the income tax documents in the name of him and his family members in Bangladesh shows that the foreigner did not mention the acquisition of these assets in the income tax documents of Bangladesh. He did not take prior approval of Bangladesh Bank to remit money from Bangladesh for the purpose of acquiring assets abroad as per Bangladesh law.

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury did not provide the information of wealth acquisition abroad in his election affidavit, according to the records. During the investigation Saifuzzaman Chowdhury was the State Minister/Minister of the Government and misuse of power as Chairman of the Bank and his wife Rukmila Zaman, obtained criminal money through bribery and corruption and transferred, transferred and converted it through various means and smuggled money from Bangladesh under the shelter of layering in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates. And completed integration by purchasing assets in the United States. Similarly, he and his wife Rukmila Zaman are said to have opened accounts in the names of individuals/institutions in various banks in the United Arab Emirates and the United States and transacted illegal money through the accounts.

On October 7, the court banned former minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman from leaving the country. It is said in the application seeking the ban that it is feared that Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman may leave the country. Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman must be banned from going abroad for the sake of fair investigation.

Besides, after the fall of the Awami League government, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered the seizure of all bank accounts in the name of Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Rukmila Zaman. Later, under the Money Laundering Act, instructions were given to suspend the transactions of Saifuzzaman's brother Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, Anisuzzaman's wife Imrana Zaman Chowdhury and daughter Anisha Zaman's personal accounts and the accounts of their privately owned organizations for 30 days in the first phase.

Saifuzzaman was elected Member of Parliament from Chittagong-12 constituency in 2013 by-election. Then in 2014, he was re-elected from Chittagong-13 constituency in the 10th National Parliament election. From January 12, 2014 to January 7, 2019, he served as the Minister of State for Lands.

He was elected from Chittagong-13 Constituency in 2018 Eleventh National Parliament Election. Later he was appointed as the Minister of Land Ministry on January 7, 2019. He was re-elected from Chittagong-13 constituency in 2024 12th National Parliament election.