A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of 18 flats and other significant assets belonging to the former chairman of Padma Bank Limited, Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat, his wife Anjuman Ara Shahid, and their son, Chowdhury Rahib Safwan Sarafat, in connection with an ongoing corruption investigation.
Senior Special Judge of Dhaka, Md Zakir Hossain (Galib) issued the order following an application filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday (7 January).
In addition to the flats, the court has also directed the freezing of various plots of land and properties registered in the names of Nafeez Sarafat and Anjuman Ara Shahid.
Among the seized assets are a 20-storey building in Gulshan registered to Nafeez Sarafat, a flat in the same area, four flats in Cantonment Market, one in Nikunja North Residential Area, and a 50% share in a flat in the Bashundhara Residential Area.
Additionally, two plots of land in Nikunja, a 2.5 katha plot in Badda’s Kathal Dia, 20 katha of land across two locations in Kaliakoir, Gazipur, 8.25% land in Gazipur Sadar, and other properties in Narayanganj's Rupganj have been included in the court's order.
Anjuman Ara Shahid’s assets under the court's seizure include a four-storey house in Bashundhara Residential Area, multiple flats in Panthapath, Gulshan Link Road, Mirpur DOHS, Shahjadpur, and Bashundhara, along with a 50% share in a flat in Nikunja and several other plots across Dhaka.
Meanwhile, the court has also frozen three flats in Banani and four in Baridhara, all registered under the name of Rahib Safwan Sarafat.
The seizure was made upon a request by Masudur Rahman, deputy director of the ACC's inquiry team, who cited ongoing investigations into allegations of bribery, corruption, fraud, and abuse of power, which have allegedly led to the embezzlement of nearly Tk887 crore.
The investigation has uncovered substantial assets under the names of Nafeez Sarafat, his wife, and son across various locations in the country. Despite the ongoing probe, all three individuals are currently absconding.