TK 1,613CR LAUNDERING, Ex-Padma Bank chair Nafeez, 3 others sued

The Criminal Investigation Department on Friday said that they had filed a case against former Padma Bank chairman Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat and three others allegedly for laundering Tk 1,613 crore through deception and fraud.
CID’s financial crime unit on November 27 filed the case with the Gulshan police station against Nafeez Sarafat, his wife Anjuman Ara Shahid, his son Rahib Safwan Sarafat Chowdhury and Nafeez’s associates, said a press release signed by CID special superintendent of police (media) Jasim Uddin Khan.
Investigators preliminarily found that the accused in the case allegedly laundered Tk 1,613 crore through deception and fraud.
The press release stated that these mutual funds were used for illegitimate personal interests by Nafeez Sarafat and his associates. Together with his wife Anjuman Ara Shahid and other family members, Nafeez Sarafat allegedly connived against consent of Dr. Hasan Taher Imam, the chairman of RACE, and invested mutual fund assets through fraud and deception to purchase shares of the then Farmers Bank (now Padma Bank). He later secured a position on the bank’s board of directors, and, with the direct support of Sheikh Hasina, even became the bank’s chairman. 
It is further alleged that, through strategic maneuvering, Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat placed his wife Anjuman Ara Shahid on the board of Southeast Bank as well. It is known that, as Dr. Hasan Taher Imam did not consent to these actions, Nafeez Sarafat attempted to seize RACE’s shares using the then IG of Police Benazir Ahmed and certain corrupt officials of RAB and DGFI, subjecting Dr. Imam to cases and administrative harassment. 
It is noted that due to the irregularities caused by Nafeez Sarafat, RACE despite being the largest private-sector asset management company is still facing various forms of harassment, which has pushed the entire mutual fund sector toward severe disruption.
The crime investigative body found 78 bank accounts linked to Nafeez, Anjuman, Rahib and their associates. About Tk 1,809.75 crore was deposited in those accounts and about Tk 1,805.58 crore was withdrawn from those while only Tk 29.21 lakh has remained in 21 active accounts belonging to the three family members.
CID also traced Nafeez, Anjuman and Rahib’s assets abroad, including companies in Canada, Singapore, and the British Virgin Islands, along with 15 joint accounts of Anjuman in a Singapore bank and 75 accounts of Rahib in several Singapore banks with significant amounts of money.
CID’s investigation also found extensive domestic assets linked to the accused.
On October 7, 2024, a Dhaka court issued an international travel ban on Nafeez after Anti-Corruption Commission on August 15 started an inquiry against him over embezzlement of about Tk 800 crore from the bank and share market.
Later, a Dhaka court on May 20 this year, ordered the anti-corruption agency to seize assets, including 19 flats and two houses, owned by Nafeez and his family members over graft allegations.