Former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed. File Photo

CHATTOGRAM, Jan 7, 2026 (BSS) – A Chattogram court has issued arrest warrant against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed and 31 others in a case involving embezzlement of Taka 25 crore from United Commercial Bank Limited (UCBL) and smuggling the money abroad through ‘hundi’.

Earlier, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a chargesheet against 36 individuals, including the former minister of the ousted Awami League government in this regard on Monday last. 

Judge Mizanur Rahman of the Chattogram Divisional Special Judge's Court passed the order after reviewing the chargesheet today (Wednesday). This is the first chargesheet of the anti-graft body in several corruption cases involving former minister Jabed. 

ACC Public Prosecutor (PP) Md. Mukarram Hossain stated, "Out of the 36 accused, 4 are currently in jail. The court has issued arrest warrants for the remaining accused, including former minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed and his wife Rukmila Zaman."

On July 24, ACC officer Md. Mashiur Rahman filed a case against 31 individuals, including Jabed and his wife, at the Chattogram District Office-1. Two of the accused have since passed away, so the investigating officer recommended excluding them from the judicial proceedings. 

The deceased individuals are: Mohammad Abdul Awal, former credit in-charge of UCBL, and Kazi Mohammad Dildar Alam, an employee of Jabed's business organization. 

The individuals named in the charge sheet are former minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed (56), his wife Rukmila Zaman (46), former UCBL Bank chairman, as well as his brother Asifuzzaman Chowdhury (46) and sister Roksana Zaman Chowdhury (56). 

Other former directors implicated in the case 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 bank officials involved in the case include 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 individuals accused in the case involving Jabed's family business, Aramit Group, are: Mohammad Farman Ullah Chowdhury (51), Mohammad Misbahul Alam (50), Abdul Aziz (39), Mohammad Jahangir Alam (54), Mehmood Hossain Chowdhury (48), Yasinur Rahman (43), Yusuf Chowdhury (45), and Saiful Islam (45). Additionally, the 7 individuals identified in the investigation 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).

According to the chargesheet, Aramit Group's protocol officer, Farman Ullah Chowdhury, obtained a loan of Taka 25 crore from UCBL by impersonating the owner of a business entity called Vision Trading. 

Subsequently, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed withdrew the funds through his employees and transferred them abroad through ‘hundi’ for the purchase of property.

The chargesheet alleges that the embezzlement occurred between October 13, 2019, and February 13, 2020. 

The investigating officer specified that the accused are charged under various sections of the Penal Code, Prevention of Corruption Act, and Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed, an Awami League leader, held the position of State Minister of Lands from 2014 to 2018 and Minister of the same ministry from 2019 to 2023. 

Prior to the 2024 parliamentary elections, he faced accusations of accumulating significant wealth overseas. Following this, he did not retain a ministerial position in the subsequent government. 

Media reports indicated that Jabed relocated to London with his wife and family members around the time of the fall of the Awami League government during the student-public uprising on August 5 last year.