UK Assets Linked to Bangladesh Figures Face Fresh Scrutiny

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. File photo: Collected

Bangladeshi authorities are working with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to trace and recover assets suspected to have been acquired through illicit means.

In May, the NCA froze £90 million in UK properties linked to relatives of Salman F Rahman. In June, similar action was taken against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, with over £170 million in assets frozen.

New findings show several individuals under investigation in Dhaka have recently sold, refinanced, or transferred UK properties, raising questions about regulatory oversight and due diligence by UK firms involved in the deals.

Leaders of Bangladesh’s interim government are urging UK authorities to issue more freezing orders as investigations continue into alleged corruption and money laundering.

The UK has become a focus for Bangladeshi anti-corruption efforts, with officials seeking to prevent further disposal of potentially tainted assets. Central bank governor Ahsan Mansur and the head of the Anti-Corruption Commission have both requested expanded freezes.

Documents filed with the UK Land Registry show at least 20 property-related transactions in the past year involving individuals under scrutiny. These include three applications connected to £24.5 million in property owned by members of the Sobhan family, who control the Bashundhara Group.

One Knightsbridge townhouse, formerly owned via a UAE-based company by Sayem Sobhan Anvir, was transferred—apparently without payment—to a UK firm with links to a known property advisor. It was then sold for £7.35 million to a newly formed company controlled by an unknown accountant.

Further activity was recorded on properties held by another Sobhan family member, including an £8 million Surrey mansion.

The family has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and has pledged to contest any claims. The ACC has listed several individuals, including the Sobhans, in its request for additional NCA freezing actions.

UK property remains central in Bangladesh’s asset recovery campaign, now seen by some as a vital anti-corruption drive—and by others as politically charged.