Rolex worth Tk 21 lakh found in former land minister's flat
Representational image. Collected.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has recovered a warranty card of a luxury Rolex watch from the Gulshan flat of former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed. The card was recovered during an inventory preparation of the flat's assets conducted following a court order.
According to the card's information, the watch is an 18-carat white gold 'Rolex Cellini Date' (Model-50519). It was purchased on January 24, 2019, from the famous London department store 'Harrods'. The warranty card lists Saifuzzaman Chowdhury as the owner of the watch. It also mentions the model number 50519 and serial number 73452459.
Various online sources related to the international watch market indicate that the current market value of a used watch of the same model ranges between $13,000 and $17,000 USD. Meanwhile, the price of a new or unworn watch is approximately $16,500 USD. At the current exchange rate, this amounts to roughly Tk 20,34,000. At $17,000, the value stands at approximately Tk 20,96,000. This means the watch's current market value is close to Tk 21 lakh.
Earlier on Sunday, the ACC entered Javed's two flats in Gulshan on court orders. Commission officials, in the presence of an executive magistrate, began the inventory process at the two flats. They are preparing lists of various assets and documents. According to the court's order, this process is part of the procedure to bring the two flats under the control of a receiver appointed by the ACC.
Following the political transition, the ACC initiated an investigation into Saifuzzaman Chowdhury on charges of acquiring illegal assets and amassing vast wealth abroad. Subsequently, multiple cases were filed against him.
Earlier, the court ordered the confiscation of 518 flats and apartments owned by him in the United Kingdom. Simultaneously, orders were issued to seize 330 houses, flats, and apartments owned by him in eight countries, including the United Arab Emirates. Investments made in two companies in his name in the United States have also been frozen. According to ACC information, the total value of these assets and investments is approximately Tk 2,320 crore and 92 lakh.
