The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has frozen properties linked to Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s former land minister and a close associate of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as part of a civil investigation into alleged money laundering.
The move follows formal legal requests from Bangladeshi authorities to target assets held by Chowdhury abroad.
A spokesperson for the NCA, often referred to as “Britain’s FBI”, confirmed to Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) on Tuesday night that freezing orders have been secured against multiple properties in the UK.
The order prohibits Chowdhury from selling or transferring the affected assets.
Among the frozen assets is a luxury residence in London’s exclusive St John’s Wood area, reportedly purchased for £11 million.
Chowdhury hails from a political family in Chittagong and served as land minister during Hasina’s final term in office before her government was overthrown.
The timing of the NCA’s move coincides with the ongoing visit to London by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.