Court orders seizure of Nafeez Sarafat, family's 22 flats, lands, plots
A Dhaka court issued the order today (7 January) after holding a hearing on an application of the Anti-Corruption Commission
A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of 22 flats, two houses, and all plots and land registered in the names of former Padma Bank chairman Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat, his wife, and their son.
Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain issued the order today (7 January) after a hearing on an application submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), according to media reports.
Masudur Rahman, a deputy director of the graft watchdog, applied for the seizure of the immovable properties belonging to Nafeez, his wife Anjuman Ara Shahid, and their son Chowdhury Rahib Safwan Sarafat, ACC and court sources confirmed.
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ACC Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir presented arguments in support of the application.
The properties owned by Nafeez Sarafat, which have been ordered to be seized, include: a 20-storey building and a plot in Gulshan, four plots in Dhaka Cantonment, a flat and two plots in Nikunja, a 50% share of a flat in the Bashundhara Residential Area, a 2.5-katha plot in Badda, two 10-katha plots in Gazipur's Kaliakoir, another plot in Gazipur Sadar, a plot in Joar Shahara, and a seven-katha plot in Purbachal.
Anjuman Ara's properties that are to be seized include: a four-storey house on a 7.5-katha plot in Bashundhara Residential Area, a plot on Panthapath, one on Gulshan Link Road, one in Mirpur DOHS, one in Shahjadpur, a 50% share of a flat in Bashundhara Residential Area, a three-katha plot in Nikunja, a 2.5-katha plot in Badda, and another plot in Gazipur Sadar.
Three flats in Banani and four more in Baridhara, owned by Chowdhury Rahib Safwan Sarafat, will also be seized under yesterday's order.
The ACC began investigating the allegations against Nafeez Sarafat in August, related to his illegal takeover of Padma Bank and embezzling Tk800 crore from the stock market.
He had resigned as chairman of Padma Bank – formerly Farmers Bank – in January last year, citing health reasons.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has also launched an investigation into Nafeez under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit has already frozen the bank accounts of Nafeez, his wife, and their children.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court imposed a travel ban on Nafeez Sarafat following an ACC application in October.
According to the application, Nafeez Sarafat is accused of bribery, corruption, fraud, abuse of power, money laundering, amassing vast sums of money, and embezzling funds abroad by defrauding customers.
He is reported to have amassed substantial wealth in various parts of the country and Canada by abusing his position and political influence, as stated in the application.
