From Brahmanbaria to Burj Khalifa: Three Dubai flats and 22-fold loan surge in 7 years for Ekramuzzaman

His cash holdings increased more than 27-fold in the last seven years, even as his declared annual income fell by nearly fourfold, according to his latest election affidavit

The declared wealth and borrowing of Syed AK Ekramuzzaman, a former lawmaker expelled from the BNP, have risen sharply over the past seven years, according to an analysis of his election affidavits.

His cash holdings increased more than 27-fold, while his bank loans grew almost 22 times, even as his declared annual income fell by nearly fourfold during the same period.

The findings are based on a comparison of affidavits submitted by Ekramuzzaman for the 11th, 12th and 13th parliamentary elections.

Ekramuzzaman, managing director of RAK Ceramics, is running as an independent from the Brahmanbaria-1 (Nasirnagar) constituency. He won the seat in the last election, despite having been expelled from the BNP before polling.

In 2024, he formally joined the Awami League and was later appointed an advisor to the party's Brahmanbaria District unit, though he says he resigned immediately after the committee was announced.

He is HSC-educated and lists his profession as business. He is currently involved in 12 businesses, though in his previous election affidavit he had declared involvement in 33 businesses.

According to his latest affidavit, Ekramuzzaman’s current annual income stands at about Tk 44.6 million, down sharply from nearly Tk 540 million declared during the previous election. In 2018, his annual income was reported at around Tk 167 million.

Despite the decline in income, his declared movable assets rose to more than Tk 4.2 billion, driven largely by investments in shares and a sharp increase in cash holdings.

He also declared ownership of three apartments in Dubai: a flat in Palm Jumeirah worth Tk 68.5 million, one in Marsa worth Tk 13.2 million, and another in the Burj Khalifa worth Tk 24.5 million.

His cash holdings rose 27.15 times, now standing at Tk 216.9 million.

His immovable assets, including agricultural land, non-agricultural land, buildings and a house in Dhaka’s Uttara area, were valued at nearly Tk 830 million.

According to tax records, Ekramuzzaman paid Tk 48.53 million in income tax for the 2025–26 fiscal year and declared assets worth Tk 26.5 billion. His wife, Naima Akter Jahan, paid Tk 17,321 in tax and declared assets worth Tk 21.7 million, while the couple’s two sons also reported significant wealth and tax payments.

The affidavits show that Ekramuzzaman’s total loans now stand at approximately Tk 29.3 billion, taken from 35 banks, several institutions and individuals to finance multiple businesses. In comparison, his borrowing stood at Tk 23 billion in the previous election and Tk 1.34 billion in 2018.

He declared liabilities of more than Tk 2.2 billion in his own name, with additional liabilities listed under his wife and children.

Following the July Uprising, seven cases were filed against Ekramuzzaman in Dhaka and Brahmanbaria, according to his affidavit. He has sought reprieve from those cases through the interim government.

He was also acquitted in several earlier cases filed between 2009 and 2023, court records show.

Read more details in Bangla: দুবাইয়ে ৩ ফ্ল্যাট একরামুজ্জামানের, সাত বছরে ঋণ বেড়েছে ২২ গুণ