The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed three cases against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and 28 others over the alleged embezzlement and laundering of Tk 141 crore through Aramit Cement.
The cases accuse the defendants of withdrawing funds from Islami Bank’s Jubilee Road branch in Chittagong using fake bills and vouchers for the purported purchase of cement raw materials, despite no actual transactions. The funds were allegedly transferred and converted through various bank accounts before being laundered to the UAE, UK, US and other countries.
ACC Deputy Director and Public Relations Officer Aktarul Islam disclosed the information on Thursday.
The accused include Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, his wife and Aramit Cement Managing Director Rukhmila Zaman, former UCB PLC chairperson; Aramit Cement CFO Mohammad Shah Alam; Imperial Trading proprietor Md Abdul Aziz; and officials of various banks and related institutions.
Of the 29 accused, 27 were named in the first case, 16 in the second and 20 in the third.
According to the case documents, Saifuzzaman allegedly used his influence as Aramit Group owner and then land minister to secure loan approvals, falsely portray an Aramit employee as the owner of a supplier, and facilitate the transfer, conversion and cash withdrawal of the funds before laundering them abroad.
He was also accused of purchasing assets in the UAE, UK, US and other countries with the laundered money and identified as the ultimate beneficiary and mastermind of the alleged scheme.
Rukhmila Zaman was accused of facilitating the transactions as UCB chairperson and Aramit Group managing director, using her influence to secure loan approvals and assisting in the transfer and laundering of the funds.
Aramit Cement CFO Mohammad Shah Alam and Imperial Trading proprietor Md Abdul Aziz were also accused of facilitating fake applications and deal approvals, as well as the transfer, conversion and cash withdrawal of the funds.
According to the ACC, the first incident took place on March 20, 2018. A case filed by ACC Assistant Director Sajib Ahmed accuses 16 people of embezzling Tk 57.60 crore through a deal in the name of Imperial Trading, a customer of First Security Islami Bank’s Agrabad branch, based on an application submitted by Aramit Cement’s Jubilee Road branch.
The second incident occurred between April 4, 2018 and December 26, 2019. According to the case documents, Tk 41.625 crore was allegedly embezzled through 17 deals in the name of Imperial Trading, a customer of United Commercial Bank’s Kamal Bazar branch, following an application by Aramit Cement, a customer of Islami Bank’s Jubilee Road branch. ACC Deputy Director Md Mashiur Rahman filed the case against 27 people.
The third incident took place between August 6, 2020 and March 28, 2021. According to the ACC, nine deals were made in the name of Imperial Trading, a customer of United Commercial Bank’s Sadarghat branch, based on applications from Aramit Cement. The case alleges that Tk 42.075 crore was embezzled after excluding the customer’s equity of Tk 4.675 crore. ACC official Shoaib Ibn Alam filed the case against 20 people.