Desk Report:
Former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed has been accused of withdrawing Tk 1.76 crore from four banks using 11 cheques issued in the name of former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested Mohammad Jahangir Alam, an official of Jabed’s family firm Aramit Group, in this connection.
He was arrested from the Aramit Group office in Kalurghat Heavy Industrial Area under Chandgaon Police Station in the city at around 1:45 pm on Wednesday (September 24), said Subel Ahmed, Deputy Director of the ACC Integrated District Office Chittagong-1.
The arrested Mohammad Jahangir Alam is working as the Assistant General Manager (AGM) of Aramit Group.
According to the ACC Chittagong office, Tk 1.76 crore was withdrawn from Islami Bank, Janata Bank, Sonali Bank and Meghna Bank using Jabed’s cheques.
Among them, Tk 1 crore was withdrawn in four checks from Islami Bank, Tk 3 million in three checks from Janata Bank, Tk 3.6 million in three checks from Sonali Bank and Tk 1 million was withdrawn using one check from Meghna Bank.
ACC Public Prosecutor Advocate Mukarram Hossain said that AGM of Aramit Jahangir Alam, accused in the case of embezzlement and laundering of Tk 25 crore from UCBL, has been arrested. Jahangir Alam has been arrested along with the original copies (mudi) of the checks signed by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. He has been charged with withdrawing money without permission in the absence of the owner of the institution.
Earlier, on July 24, the ACC filed a case against Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed, his wife, brothers and sisters, and 31 others at the Chittagong Integrated District Office-1.
Earlier, on July 24, the ACC filed a case against Jabed, his wife Rukmila Zaman and 31 others on charges of laundering Tk 250 million abroad by taking a loan from UCBL Bank. ACC Dhaka office deputy director Moshiur Rahman is the plaintiff in the case.
Meanwhile, on September 21, following the ACC’s application, the court of Chittagong’s Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge (acting) Md. Abdur Rahman ordered the issuance of an Interpol red notice against former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed and his wife Rukmila Zaman.
Early on the same day, the ACC seized 23 bags of documents from the house of the former minister’s wife’s driver in Shikolbaha area of Chittagong’s Karnaphuli upazila. The ACC says that the documents are documents of various accounts, including documents of former minister Jabed’s assets in the country and abroad.
The investigation officer of the case is ACC head office deputy director Md. Mashiur Rahman said after initial scrutiny of the documents, they have found some assets in Jabed’s name in neighboring countries like India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
