Warranty card for Tk2m Rolex Watch, luxury car keys at ex-land minister’s Gulshan flats
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has conducted a raid at two flats that belong to former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury in the capital’s Gulshan area.
The operation was carried out under court orders to seize the assets within the properties.
According to a relevant official, the search yielded five luxury car keys, packaging and warranty cards for eight high-end watches (including Rolex), and an array of premium furniture.
Additionally, officers discovered over 300 coats, more than 532 ties, over 100 kameezes (traditional outfits), and three sets of pearl jewellery. The ACC has also seized four chandeliers, along with beds and sofas from the premises.
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, who served as the land minister in the Awami League government that was ousted in a mass uprising, held various business interests both domestically and internationally.
His family maintained ownership stakes in Bangladesh's UCB Bank, and he was actively involved in the UK property market.
Following the fall of the Awami League regime on 5 August 2024, investigations were launched into the overseas assets of Saifuzzaman and other close associates of the administration. This probe uncovered more than 300 properties—comprising houses, flats, and apartments—belonging to Saifuzzaman in the United Kingdom.
According to a report by the British newspaper The Telegraph, these assets are valued at £170 million.
Saifuzzaman owns two flats at Plot 11, Northwest (B) Block on Road 66 in Gulshan, Dhaka. Flat A-7 measures 3,747 square feet, while Flat B-7 spans 3,832 square feet.
Following an application by the ACC, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judges' Court ordered the seizure of these two flats on 18 November last year.
The court directive appointed the Director of the ACC's Asset Management Unit to take control of the properties. However, because the flats were locked, officials were initially unable to gain entry. Consequently, following a subsequent appeal by the ACC on 29 April, the court granted permission to break the locks, enter the premises in the presence of an executive magistrate, and compile an inventory of the contents.
In accordance with that order, the ACC conducted the raid on the two flats today, Sunday.
Speaking to Prothom Alo this afternoon, Md Mashiur Rahman, ACC Deputy Director and head of the search team, confirmed that eight empty luxury watch boxes, including four from Rolex, were found in Saifuzzaman Chowdhury’s Gulshan residence. The warranty cards for these timepieces were also recovered. Furthermore, five luxury car keys were found, including one for a BMW, alongside an assortment of expensive furniture and apparel.
Information from the warranty card of one luxury Rolex revealed it to be an 18-carat white gold 'Rolex Cellini Date' (Model 50519). The watch was purchased on 24 January 2019 from Harrods, the renowned London department store. The card explicitly names Saifuzzaman Chowdhury as the owner and lists the model number as 50519 and the serial number as 73452459.
According to various luxury watch valuation websites, the current market value for a pre-owned model of this specific timepiece is approximately US$16,500, which equates to over Tk 2 million.
ACC officials, under the supervision of the executive magistrate, have entered the flats to document the assets and files.
Mashiur Rahman noted that the inventorying process was paused at 5:00 pm today and is scheduled to resume tomorrow, Monday morning. Once the listing is complete, the assets will be formally handed over to the custody of the court.