Three associates of former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury have been placed on a total of 10 days’ remand in two corruption cases involving allegations of embezzlement and money laundering.
On Thursday (October 23), Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Sabbir Foyez issued the remand order after hearing two separate petitions filed by the investigating officers.
The accused are — Md. Abdul Aziz, owner of Imperial Trading and AGM of Aramit PLC; Mohammad Jahangir Alam, owner of Classic Trading and AGM of Aramit PLC; and Utpal Pal, also an AGM at Aramit PLC.
ACC prosecutor Delwar Jahan Rumi said the former land minister used these individuals to embezzle large sums of money from various banks and financial institutions and transfer them abroad.
Earlier, two cases were filed by ACC Assistant Directors Md. Rubel Hossain and Md. Sajib Ahmed. The cases alleged that the accused, through intimidation and pressure, extorted Tk 41.75 crore and Tk 60 crore respectively from two client companies of United Commercial Bank (UCB).
The complaints further stated that the embezzled funds were taken as bribes and laundered abroad through transfers and conversions, constituting punishable offenses under money laundering laws.
After the hearing, the judge granted a five-day remand for each case, totaling 10 days of custody.