Around Tk22.5 crore worth of assets declared by four senior Awami League and affiliated-organisation leaders could potentially be confiscated to compensate July uprising victims and their families following Tuesday’s International Crimes Tribunal verdict.
The figure emerges from election affidavits filed by Obaidul Quader, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat and Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, four of the five death-row convicts whose assets the International Crimes Tribunal-2 ordered to be confiscated by 50%.
Together, the four declared movable and immovable assets worth around Tk45 crore, according to the affidavits cited in the reporting.
The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of half the movable and immovable assets of Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash.
However, no election affidavit containing his asset declaration is available in the material, as he did not contest the election.
The figures therefore provide only an indication of the potential value of assets covered by Tuesday’s order, rather than the amount the state will ultimately be able to confiscate.
The tribunal ordered that proceeds from the sale of the confiscated property be distributed as compensation among people killed or injured during the July-August 2024 mass uprising, or their families, through the July Foundation or another statutory body.
The five subject to the confiscation order -- Quader, Nasim, Arafat, Parash and Nikhil -- were among seven leaders sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed during the uprising.
Chhatra League President Saddam Hussain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan were also sentenced to death, but the tribunal did not order confiscation of their assets.
All seven remain fugitives.
Nasim declared largest fortune
Of the four for whom election affidavits are available, Nasim declared by far the largest amount of wealth.
His affidavit for the Dhaka-8 constituency showed movable assets of around Tk29.79 crore and immovable assets worth approximately Tk5.4 crore, taking his declared wealth to around Tk35.19 crore.
His movable holdings included Tk7.69 crore in cash, Tk9.56 crore in bank deposits, Tk11.14 crore invested in shares and bonds and Tk60 lakh in savings certificates.
His immovable properties included agricultural and non-agricultural land, a building in Uttara valued at Tk2.71 crore and a Mirpur flat worth Tk45 lakh.
If those declared values were used as the basis for the tribunal’s 50% order, Nasim’s assets alone would represent around Tk17.6 crore potentially subject to confiscation.
Quader declared Tk3.74cr
Quader’s affidavit for the 2024 election from Noakhali-5 put his total declared assets at around Tk3.74 crore.
His movable assets were valued at Tk3.23 crore, including approximately Tk76 lakh held in banks and financial institutions, around Tk1.5 crore in savings certificates and a vehicle worth Tk77.5 lakh.
He also declared a five-katha plot in Uttara valued at Tk51 lakh.
On the declared valuation, half would amount to approximately Tk1.87 crore.
Arafat, Nikhil assets
Arafat declared movable assets worth around Tk1.99 crore and a Gulshan-2 apartment valued at Tk2.7 crore, putting his total declared wealth at approximately Tk4.69 crore.
Half of that would be around Tk2.35 crore.
Nikhil’s affidavit showed movable assets of approximately Tk5.5 crore and immovable property worth around Tk69.16 lakh, giving a combined declared value of approximately Tk6.19 crore.
On that basis, around Tk3.1 crore would represent half his declared assets.
The combined figures underline the potential financial significance of the tribunal’s order.
But the amount ultimately available for victims will depend on which assets authorities can identify, their present ownership and value, and the legal process for confiscating and selling them.
The tribunal previously issued a similar asset-confiscation order when it sentenced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in another crimes-against-humanity case arising from the July uprising.