British lawmaker Apsana Begum on Tuesday called on the UK’s National Crime Agency to probe and take action regarding properties acquired by former Bangladeshi land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury allegedly through corruption.
Saifuzzaman reportedly has a property empire in Britain, which includes 74 houses in the Bangladeshi-dominated areas of Poplar and Limehouse in East London. Bangladeshi-origin MP Apsana Begum, who represents the constituency, wrote to the NCA, questioning what steps it was taking about the matter.
In her letter addressed to NCA Director General Graeme Biggar, Begum referenced an Al Jazeera report on Saifuzzaman titled “The Minister's Millions.”
Begum noted that Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission had launched a probe into Saifuzzaman regarding allegations related to embezzlement and claims that he had laundered millions of dollars into the UK.
“A Financial Times review of HM Land Registry and UK Companies House records found that the entities controlled by Chowdhury acquired at least 280 properties for more than £150 million. An investigation by Al Jazeera has shown that Mr Chowdhury owns 74 properties in my constituency, Poplar and Limehouse.”
The British lawmaker said the assets in question belonged to Bangladesh and she believed they must be returned to support the people of Bangladesh.
“Given that Bangladesh's ACC is seeking international cooperation to recover any misappropriated funds, I would be most grateful if you can clarify what steps have been taken to investigate and freeze all UK-based assets owned by Mr Chowdhury and others subject to these corruption investigations.”
She went on saying that freezing and repatriating relevant funds was not only critical for justice and the future of people's rights in Bangladesh but essential in relation to the UK's reputation and international record.
