National Crime Agency Freezes More Than 300 Properties Linked to Ousted Bangladeshi Dictator – Guido Fawkes

National Crime Agency Freezes More Than 300 Properties Linked to Ousted Bangladeshi Dictator

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The National Crime Agency is freezing further assets in its wide investigation into allies of deposed Bangladesh dictator Sheikh Hasina. It has confirmed this afternoon that 342 properties with a purchase cost of £185 million have been frozen after approval from the High Court…

The new raft of properties are linked to the former Bangladesh land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury – a close ally of Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus is in London and met with NCA officials yesterday along with Ahsan Mansur, head of the asset recovery task force, and anti-corruption commission chief Abdul Momen. The same Anti-Corruption Commission which has lodged charges against UK MP Tulip Siddiq…

Mansur said British co-operation from the NCA has been extensive:

“I must say the progress on the British front is very encouraging for us… They have good sources of information, and we are also supporting their actions . . . we are hopeful that more actions will be taken by the British authorities.”

NCA officials have travelled to Dhaka to help with early investigations. The Foreign Office is also working closely with the Bangladeshi government. Which makes it all the more bizarre that Starmer is refusing to meet the country’s leader in London this week…

The FT has followed Guido’s revelations earlier this week that Starmer has swerved a meeting with Yunus. Political sources say this is due to intense nervousness about the Tulip Siddiq situation. Siddiq for her part denies any wrongdoing and asked to meet Yunus, who refused. Yunus said: “We need the support from the people of Great Britain.” That Starmer has refused any meeting with Yunus despite the two governments working so closely is a diplomatic incident…