INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
struggling to navigate bitter factional politics and economic turmoil.Against that traumatic backdrop, a Knightsbridge townhouse in London,
or a mansion on a private road in Surrey, seem worlds away.Yet luxury UK real estate is playing a central role in the drama.Investigators in
Dhaka have been sifting through allegations that powerful and politically connected figures under the previous regime exploited senior
land minister in the Hasina government who amassed a vast fortune during her tenure that included more than 300 UK properties, ranging from
apartments to lavish townhouses.View image in fullscreenThe government of Sheikh Hasina was toppled by a student-led revolution last year
Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/ReutersNow, an investigation by the Guardian and the campaign group Transparency International has found
that several Bangladeshis who are under scrutiny in Dhaka appear to have either sold, transferred or refinanced UK property since the
revolution began.The transactions raise questions about the freedom with which those under suspicion have continued to conduct business in
London, as well as the due diligence performed by UK law firms and consultants who helped facilitate the transactions.Leading figures in
authorities in Dhaka complete their investigations.London property could now play a starring role in what has been billed by some as a long
June, led by the interim premier, Muhammad Yunus, on a mission to forge stronger ties with the UK.London is of particular importance to
Dhaka think may have been obtained using laundered money.View image in fullscreenMuhammad Yunus speaks at Cop 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan in
Last month, Mohammad Abdul Momen said he had asked the NCA to consider freezing the assets of several individuals, amid a flurry of
members of the Sobhan family, the powerful dynasty behind the multibillion-pound Bashundhara business group, a conglomerate that spans
cement to media.One, a four-storey townhouse in Knightsbridge, has been the subject of two recent transactions, the purpose of which are
Emirates.Sobhan is among several family members under investigation by the ACC for allegations including money laundering, the Guardian
Brookview is owned by a director of Orbis London, a real estate advisory firm with offices in Liechtenstein and Singapore that has acted for
company, whose sole director is an accountant with no online profile
The accountant is registered as the owner and director of multiple other companies that appear to be special purpose vehicles for
multimillion-pound London properties.Land Registry records show that UK law firms have made two more applications for dealing on properties
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individuals have come under scrutiny from the ACC as part of investigations into Chowdhury.Both have engaged in multiple property deals over
Guardian has chosen not to name.Land Registry data shows recent market activity on four properties owned by Anisuzzaman Chowdhury.They
A further three applications, understood to relate to refinancing, have taken place since.Lawyers for Anisuzzaman Chowdhury said he did not
in 2023, before the revolution.According to reports in Bangladesh, the ACC has previously been asked by the chair of a large local bank,
UCB, to investigate whether Chowdhury helped the London-based property developer obtain loans irregularly from the lender.This year, a
Bangladeshi court imposed a travel ban on the developer, who denies any wrongdoing.A further three applications for dealing relate to
Ahmed Shayan Rahman and Ahmed Shahryar Rahman are under investigation by the ACC.View image in fullscreenGrosvenor Square in central London,
month.Lawyers for the Rahmans said they denied any wrongdoing
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role played by multiple UK firms that have acted for individuals the NCA has already targeted, or who the ACC has named.The law firm Jaswal
Johnston submitted applications on properties owned by the Rahmans
when conducting regulated activities for clients known to be under investigation
