https://supremacy.info/news/86438

Dhaka Court Orders Formal Arrest

Former Law Minister Anisul Huq has been formally shown arrested in a significant money laundering case by a Dhaka court on March 2, 2026. His personal assistant, Md Rashedul Kawser Bhuiyan, also known as Jibon, was similarly implicated. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had filed a plea seeking their arrest in connection with allegations of extorting and laundering nearly Tk 2.5 billion (approximately $21.3 million USD). Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ehsanul Islam granted the CID's request, which was initially placed before the court on February 20 in the presence of the accused.

Allegations of Organized Criminal Network

According to the CID's Financial Crime Unit, investigations revealed that Anisul Huq, along with his associates Towfika Karim (also known as Aftab), Md Rashedul Kawser Bhuiyan, and Md Kamruzzaman, formed an organized criminal network. This syndicate allegedly systematically amassed large sums of money through extortion over an extended period. The CID filed the money laundering case on January 11, 2026, at Bhatara Police Station.

The alleged scheme involved several key methods:

NGO as a Front: After becoming a minister, Anisul Huq reportedly appointed Towfika Karim and Md Rashedul Kawser Bhuiyan as his personal assistants. He then established an NGO named 'Legal Assistance to Helpless Prisoners and Persons,' with Towfika Karim as chairperson, Md Rashedul Kawser Bhuiyan as secretary general, and Anisul Huq as treasurer. This NGO was allegedly used to collect extortion money through an account maintained at the Supreme Court branch of Sonali Bank PLC.

Bank Transactions: The syndicate allegedly collected a regular monthly extortion of Tk 1 million from various individuals and organizations through the Gulshan branch of the National Bank of Pakistan. Md Kamruzzaman, who joined the National Bank of Pakistan as managing director in 2015, is accused of regularly transferring funds to Towfika Karim's personal bank account under the guise of a nominal legal consultancy agreement with her law firm, 'Sirajul Huq Associates'.

Investigators claim that approximately Tk 108 million was collected from the National Bank of Pakistan alone until August 5, 2024, when the accused went into hiding following the fall of the Awami League government. Additionally, about Tk 106 million was reportedly extorted from other sources and deposited into Towfika Karim's personal accounts. The total siphoned amount between March 11, 2015, and June 30, 2024, is reported to be Tk 245.36 million.

Ongoing Legal Proceedings

Anisul Huq was initially arrested on August 13, 2024, at Sadarghat while allegedly attempting to flee by boat, eight days after the fall of the Awami League government. He has remained in prison since then and is facing several other charges. These include an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) case filed on January 1, 2025, for allegedly amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 1.46 billion and engaging in suspicious transactions totaling Tk 6.65 billion through 29 bank accounts. He has also been shown arrested in cases related to the July 2024 protests, involving charges of murder and attempted murder. During the investigation into the money laundering case, a Dhaka Metropolitan Special Judge Court ordered the freezing of 26 bank accounts in Towfika Karim's name, holding the alleged laundered funds. The case remains under investigation by the CID's Financial Crime Unit.