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Published : 11 Mar 2026, 07:53 PM
A Chattogram court has indicted former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed
and his wife Rukmila Zaman for allegedly embezzling and laundering Tk 250 million from United Commercial Bank Limited (UCBL).
Framing charges against the duo and 34 others, Judge Mizanur Rahman of Chattogram Divisional Special Court on Wednesday set Apr 5 for recording deposition.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Mukarram Hossain told bdnews24.com, "The court has ordered the initiation of the trial by indicting all 36 accused.”
However, only eight accused were present during the hearing and they were later sent to
jail.
“The court issued an arrest warrant for the fugitives,” said the ACC lawyer.
Although the Javed-Rukmila couple face a ban on leaving the country, media reports suggest both of them are already abroad.
In September last year, the court ordered a red notice to be issued against them
through Interpol.
On Jan 7, Chattogram’s Senior Special Judge Md Hasanul Islam accepted the charge sheet filed by the ACC against the 36 accused.
Another ACC lawyer, Rezaul Karim Rony, said that this is the “first” charge sheet filed by the anti-graft watchdog against the former minister.
On Jul 24, ACC Deputy Director Md Mashiur Rahman filed the case at Chattogram District
Office-1 against 31 people, including Javed and his wife.
Two of the accused died and the investigating officer named seven people anew in the charge sheet, which states that the embezzlement occurred between Oct 13, 2019, and
Feb 13, 2020.
The ACC has already filed 30 cases against Javed on charges of bank loan fraud and money laundering.
According to the allegations in these cases, the money was transferred to multiple accounts and laundered abroad by taking bank loans using fake companies.
Javed and his wife will face three more cases by the ACC over the “embezzlement” of Tk 1.41 billion through "shell companies" and fraudulent bank transactions.
