Former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed has trashed the recent Bloomberg report on his emergence as a UK real estate empire having more than 350 properties worth £200 million and claimed him as innocent.

Javed has also urged the government to form a high-powered committee to thoroughly investigate the allegations regarding the accumulation of wealth during his tenure as a minister of the government.

Javed, also an Awami League leader, made the plea while addressing a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday in response to a report recently published in Bloomberg, an international news agency headquartered in New York City.

"I come from a business family and my father has founded one of the leading traditional commercial banks in the country. I just took the investment opportunity during the coronavirus pandemic. The government can run an investigation to assess the assets I earned in the last ten years," Javed said.

The Awami League leader urged the government to engage a civil society member, a journalist, and a government officer to ensure a fair investigation in this regard

United States-based Bloomberg recently reported that former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury has built up a UK real estate empire having more than 350 properties worth about £200 million.

"As a member of a traditional business family, I saw an investment opportunity during the pandemic of coronavirus when the bank interest rates dropped significantly. At the advice of one of my friends in the UK, who informed me about reduced tariffs by real estate companies, I just took the opportunity to invest there,” Javed said, defending his offshore investment. 

During the press conference, the former land minister also focused on his integrity during his tenure as the land minister.

BDST: 1759 HRS, Mar 02, 2024
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