London High Court Orders Seizure of £15m Flat Owned by Former Land Minister's Brother

A High Court in London has ordered the seizure of a luxury flat worth £15 million owned by Anisuzzaman Chowdhury Roni, brother of former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, in the United Kingdom's capital. In Bangladeshi currency, the property is worth around Tk 2.4 billion (240 crore).

The order was issued following an application by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) on allegations of money laundering, embezzlement and fraud. A ban has also been imposed on transferring or selling the property, located near Regent's Park in London, close to Lord's. The information was reported by the British newspaper the Financial Times.

According to the report, last year the NCA directed Anisuzzaman Chowdhury to explain the legitimate source of the money used to buy the flat. As he failed to prove it, the flat was deemed to be property acquired through unlawful means under the UK's anti-corruption laws.

An NCA investigation officer testified in court that Anisuzzaman Chowdhury bought the flat in 2013 for £12.4 million in the name of his company "Roni 42 Limited". To evade investigation and conceal the flat's real ownership, he allegedly staged a transfer of the property to a third party in September 2025 for just £1. However, the investigation found that the plan was for control of the property to eventually return, through a circuitous route, to his wife and two daughters.

In the most sensational allegation, forged signatures of former British prime minister David Cameron, former US president Richard Nixon and popular American singer Chris Brown were used in this fraud process — which investigators believe reveals the extreme lengths of forgery in the legal documents and deeds.

Justice Karen Steyn told the court that there was sufficient reasonable evidence that the source of this property was illegal money. The order to seize the property was therefore issued.

Lawyers for the accused Anisuzzaman Chowdhury did not oppose the application. However, Anisuzzaman told the Financial Times that he had not opposed the seizure application on legal advice. He claims he is not involved in any illegal activity and that if the NCA files a civil case, he will fight it legally.

Notably, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus began vigorous efforts to bring back assets laundered abroad from the country. Allegations of illegally amassing huge assets abroad had been raised against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his family before as well.

According to NCA data, from 1992 until the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, the value of the Saifuzzaman Chowdhury family's foreign assets reached around $295 million.

As part of the ongoing civil investigation, in June 2025 the UK's NCA had already seized properties worth around £185 million owned by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. Although Anisuzzaman Chowdhury has denied any business relationship with his brother, UK investigative agencies are continuing their probe against the entire family.

The Bangladesh government is continuing its efforts to repatriate laundered money and assets. Those involved see this latest London court order as an important step forward in that effort. With Anisuzzaman Chowdhury announcing a legal fight in a civil case, all eyes will now be on the next stage of the proceedings over this property.