Former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed -File photo

CHATTOGRAM, May 5, 2026 (BSS) - Testimony from seven additional witnesses has been completed in a case involving 36 individuals, including former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed, accused of embezzling Tk 25 crore from United Commercial Bank (UCBL) and smuggling it abroad through hundi. 

The proceedings took place in the court of Chattogram Divisional Special Judge Mizanur Rahman on Tuesday (May 5), bringing the total number of witnesses to 18 in the case.
 
According to sources familiar with the court and the case, between October 2019 and February 2020, a loan of Tk 25 crore was fraudulently approved from UCBL under the guise of a fictitious company named 'Vision Trading'. It is alleged that former minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed orchestrated the withdrawal of the funds through his employees, smuggling the money abroad through hundi and investing in overseas properties.
 
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case on July 24, 2025, against 31 individuals, including Jabed and his wife Rukmila Zaman, in connection with this fraudulent scheme.
  
The accused in the case include former minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed (56) and his wife Rukmila Zaman (46), former chairman of UCBL Bank, former directors Asifuzzaman Chowdhury (46) and Roksana Zaman Chowdhury (56). Other former directors involved are Bashir Ahmed (55), Afroza Zaman (48), Syed Kamruzzaman (61), Md. Shah Alam (62), Md. Jonaid Shafiq (64), Aparup Chowdhury (65), Touhid Sipar Rafiquzzaman (66), Yunus Ahmed (79), Haji Abu Kalam (79), Nurul Islam Chowdhury (62), former chairman MA Sabur (77), and former acting managing director Arif Qadri (64). Additionally, former officials of the bank implicated are Mohammad Ekram Ullah (51), Abdul Hamid Chowdhury (50), Abdur Rouf Chowdhury, Ziaul Karim Khan (46), Mir Mesbah Uddin Hossain (62), and Bazl Ahmed Babul (56). The officers and employees of Jabed's family business Aramit Group who have been indicted are Mohammad Farman Ullah Chowdhury (51), Mohammad Misbahul Alam (50), Abdul Aziz (39), Mohammad Jahangir Alam (54), Mohammad Hossain Chowdhury (48), Yasinur Rahman (43), Yusuf Chowdhury (45), and Saiful Islam (45). Also included are Aramit Group AGM Utpal Pal (51), Pradeep Kumar Biswas (51), Md. Zahid (45), Md. Shahid (49), Md. Sumon (39), Ilias Talukder (50), and Osman Talukder (48).
  
The ACC Public Prosecutor, Mukarram Hossain, stated that the ACC presented 7 witnesses in court today in the embezzlement case involving Tk 25 crore. The case is against 36 individuals, including former minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed. The witnesses' testimony and cross-examination have been completed. In total, 18 witnesses have testified so far. The court has scheduled the next witness for May 20 in this case.