An AJ investigation uncovers ex-Land Minister Saifuzzaman's lavish lifestyle, including 360 luxury properties, Rolls-Royce cars, and $8,000 suits.

 An AJ investigation uncovers ex-Land Minister Saifuzzaman's lavish lifestyle, including 360 luxury properties, Rolls-Royce cars, and $8,000 suits.

 Former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed has accumulated a vast fortune abroad, including hundreds of luxury properties spread across multiple continents, high-end cars, crocodile shoes, and Italian suits.
A recent investigation by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit exposed the extent of his wealth. The 25-minute report titled *"The Minister's Millions"*, released on Al Jazeera English's YouTube channel on 18 September, uncovers the lavish lifestyle of the former minister.
In the video, Saifuzzaman is seen speaking with undercover AJ reporters posing as property investors, boasting about his luxurious lifestyle. He reveals, "I have a very nice penthouse" and admits his love for expensive suits, adding, "A Super 200 suit costs €6,000 [$8,000]."
He also gave the reporters a tour of his five-floor penthouse in the UK, which features a home theater, gym, private lift, and a new Rolls-Royce in the garage. "It’s a very private house. I need a very secure house for my security," he stated during the tour.
The report further reveals that Saifuzzaman built a property empire worth half a billion dollars, despite earning a modest government salary. Al Jazeera's press statement highlighted Bangladesh's strict currency laws and government rules, which prohibit ministers from holding directorships or profiting from private businesses. 

In the report, Saifuzzaman also claimed to have powerful connections, noting that both he and his father had close ties to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, saying, "She is my boss... She knows I have a business here [in Britain]."
The investigation shows that he owned over 360 luxury properties in Britain alone, valued at $250 million, and expanded his real estate portfolio to Dubai, New York, Singapore, and Malaysia. The report indicates that his property buying surged in 2019 when he became a government minister.
Following a crackdown on student protests, Sheikh Hasina is currently in exile in India, with many of her ministers, including Chowdhury, having fled the country. Bangladesh authorities are now investigating claims that Chowdhury laundered millions of dollars into the UK. His bank accounts have been frozen, and his family-owned bank, UCBL, is under government control to protect depositors' funds.

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During the meeting with the undercover reporters, Saifuzzaman boasted about his lavish lifestyle, including spending thousands on handmade crocodile shoes and tailored Italian suits. He defended his wealth, claiming it was earned through legitimate businesses in the UK, UAE, and the US, and described the investigation as a political witch-hunt.
This is not the first time Saifuzzaman’s wealth has come under scrutiny. The interim government of Bangladesh has sought help from the UK to investigate the wealth of Hasina’s allies, particularly focusing on Chowdhury's £150 million UK property portfolio. 
Transparency International UK previously cited Chowdhury's property holdings as an example of "unexplained wealth." Records reviewed by the Financial Times showed that companies linked to Chowdhury acquired at least 280 properties in the UK, mostly during his tenure as land minister from 2019.
While his lawyer, Ajmalul Hossain KC, denied any wrongdoing, claiming Chowdhury has "nothing to hide," the former minister insists his assets came from legitimate business interests. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh has launched an investigation into his alleged acquisition of illegal assets and irregularities, further deepening the scrutiny on his financial activities.