Search underway for Tk 260 million luxury apartment belonging to former land minister's brother in London

A luxurious apartment owned by an influential Bangladeshi businessman has been found in an elite area of the UK capital London. Businessman Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, brother of former Awami League government Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, owns the property.

The apartment is located in the multi-storey residential building 'Westmark Tower' located in Newcastle Place, North London. This building is well-known as the preferred residence of Arab tycoons. The apartment was worth 16 lakh 6 thousand 450 British pounds, which is about 26 crore 50 lakh taka in Bangladeshi currency.

According to documents obtained from the UK Land Registration Office and Companies House, the property was purchased on July 15, 2021 through a company called 'Bitcom Real Estate Limited'. The two directors of this company are Anisuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife Imrana Zaman Chowdhury. Both of their nationality documents are mentioned as Bangladeshi.

The registered address of this company, established on May 1, 2020, is 22 Gilbert Street, London. The apartment was purchased from the famous UK housing developer 'Barclay Homes', on a 999-year lease agreement.

In addition, on January 17 this year, Bitcom Real Estate Limited signed a re-mortgage agreement on the apartment. The lender was a private loan company named Sencap Limited. The matter of imposing fixed and floating charges in this agreement is mentioned in the charge sheet.

Family name under international investigation

Anisuzzaman Chowdhury's family has long been considered influential in the political and business circles of Bangladesh. According to information published in various international media outlets, this family is under investigation for money laundering and wealth acquisition in multiple countries.

Recently, a UK media outlet reported that in the past one year, at least 20 property transfer, sale or re-mortgage applications have been submitted to the UK Land Registration Department in the name of people close to the former government of Bangladesh. Anisuzzaman Chowdhury's name is also on this list.

The report also states that he has applied to sell or remortgage at least four properties, including a Georgian townhouse worth £10 million in London's Regent's Park area.

Earlier, at the request of Bangladesh, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) seized assets worth an estimated £170 million in the name of former Lands Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. The source of these assets is still being verified and most of the properties under the watch of British intelligence agencies are located in elite areas of London.