A court has ordered the issuance of an Interpol 'Red Notice' against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife, as the ACC recovered 22 sacks of documents related to the ex-minister's wealth.
On Sunday, a Chattogram court ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to request Interpol to issue a red notice against Javed and his wife in a graft case.
Acting Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Abdur Rahman passed the order on Sunday afternoon following an application by the ACC.
ACC lawyer Mokarram Hossain confirmed the matter to the media.
He said former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife, Rukhmila Zaman, are absconding abroad.
Last Thursday, the ACC filed a petition with the court seeking action for the issuance of an Interpol 'Red Notice' against them.
After the hearing on Sunday, the court granted the petition and directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take necessary measures in this regard.
Mokarram Hossain further stated that Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his wife fled the country after the Awami League government was ousted on August 5 last year.
Meanwhile, in another development, an ACC team led by Deputy Director Moshiur Rahman, who heads the task force investigating Saifuzzaman's corruption allegations, carried out an operation in the Shikalbaha area under Karnaphuli police station and found the documents stored in a roadside shop.
Moshiur said, "Acting on a tip-off, we learned the papers were hidden at the house of Ilias, the driver of Saifuzzaman's wife Rukmila Zaman. Sensing a raid, they were shifted to a nearby shop. We have recovered 23 sacks of documents from that shop. These will be vital for the investigation."
The raid followed the arrest of two of Saifuzzaman's close aides-Md Abdul Aziz (39) and Utpal Paul (51) on Wednesday last in the city's Double Mooring area.
Investigators said Utpal, a former Assistant General Manager (AGM) of Aramit PLC and the ex-minister's personal aide, allegedly managed overseas properties and coordinated fund transfers from Bangladesh to Dubai and then to the UK and other destinations.
Abdul Aziz, also an AGM of Aramit, is accused of holding properties purchased under Saifuzzaman's name.
Both men were placed on five-day remand after being produced in court on Thursday. The ACC also seized two laptops and two mobile phones believed to contain key evidence of the laundering network.
Investigators say the probe has now widened to include new assets in Malaysia, Thailand, and India, in addition to earlier findings of properties in the United States, United Kingdom, and Dubai.
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