Court issues travel ban on 11 members of S Alam Group owner's family

A Dhaka court today issued travel ban on 11 family members of S Alam Group owner Mohammed Saiful Alam in connection with allegations of laundering $1 billion to Singapore and several other countries.

The members are Belal Ahmed, Fasihal Alam, Sajeda Begum, Mahmudul Alam, Md Mostain Billah Adil, Atiqur Jenny, Lutfun Nahar, Alhaj Chemon Ara Begum, Maymuna Khanam, Badrunnesa Alam and Sharmin Fatema.

Judge Md Zakir Hossain of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court in Dhaka passed the order after Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director (money laundering) Noor-e-Alam, who is the head of the enquiry team, submitted an application.

In the application, the ACC official said an investigation is underway against Saiful Alam and his family members for allegedly laundering $1 billion to Singapore and several other countries.

During the investigation, it was learned that they might flee the country and take refuge abroad. If information and data cannot be collected by questioning them, it will be difficult to prove the allegations brought against them.

Therefore, it is necessary to issue travel ban on them for the sake of a fair probe of the allegations, said the application.

An August 2023 investigation by The Daily Star found that S Alam Group owner Mohammed Saiful Alam has built a business empire in Singapore worth at least about $1 billion, although there is no record of him taking any permission from Bangladesh Bank (BB) to invest or transfer any funds abroad.