Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former ICT advisor, has been leading a luxurious life in the United States. He owns eight luxury cars and has financial involvement with five companies. Additionally, he is also accused of laundering $300 million (around Tk 3,600 crore) to the United States and the United Kingdom, as revealed by a report from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
However, Sajeeb Wazed Joy has dismissed the FBI’s report as false and fabricated.
On April 23, 2023, the FBI submitted the report to the assistant attorney general of the US Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. A copy of the report was later received by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) last December, according to multiple officials from the agency.
The FBI report states that the investigation revealed that Joy owns eight luxury cars. Among them, the McLaren 720S has a market value of $2,50,578 (around Tk 3 crore 5 lakh), the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT is worth $1,09,806 (around Tk 1 crore 33 lakh 54 thousand), the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is valued at $51,008 (around Tk 62 lakh 3 thousand), the Mercedes-Benz SL model costs $73,570 (around Tk 89 lakh 47 thousand), the Lexus GX 460 is priced at $30,182 (around Tk 36 lakh 70 thousand), the Range Rover is valued at $37,586 (around Tk 45 lakh 71 thousand), the Jeep Grand Cherokee is priced at $7,491 (around Tk 9 lakh 11 thousand), and the Grand Cherokee has a market value of $4,477 (around Tk 5 lakh 44 thousand).
The FBI also found Joy’s financial link with five companies, including Wazed Consulting Inc, Ecom Systems Inc, Mvion Inc, and Intelligent Trade Systems Limited. The FBI revealed names of Joy’s associates and secret informants – US Awami League President Siddiqur Rahman and Senior Joint Secretary Nizam Chowdhury.
According to the FBI, the agency discovered Joy’s bank accounts in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands. The FBI detected suspicious financial transactions to Washington D.C., New York, and London via a local money exchange company. It has contacted UK intelligence agencies to investigate Joy’s suspicious activities.
Senior Trial Attorney Linda Samuels from the US Department of Justice contacted Special Agent La Privotte in this regard. Previously, she requested assistance from Washington Field in investigating a case involving the embezzlement of $300 million from Bangladesh and its laundering through bank accounts in the US.
The FBI report also states that Sheikh Hasina and Sajeeb Wazed Joy are involved in money laundering in both the US and the Cayman Islands. The justice department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) sought help from Washington Field to locate, trace, and seize these funds.
The investigation also revealed suspicious activities associated with Wazed Consulting Incorporated, which has been involved in various businesses with the Bangladesh government and was associated with the Bangabandhu-1 satellite project. The legality of these financial transactions requires careful scrutiny and investigation to ensure accountability.
Furthermore, the FBI has communicated with the ACC to verify bank account details and assist in addressing any potential illegal activities.
The investigation also discovered suspicious banking activities involving Joy’s wife, Kristine, in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Meanwhile, Joy responded on his verified Facebook page in this regard, stating, "The allegations of corruption in the FBI report are completely fabricated. We have never been involved in any government project. We do have bank accounts in these two countries, but we have no offshore accounts. None of us has ever seen the amounts of money that are being claimed."
Translated & edited by Fariha Nowshin Chinika
