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Bangladeshis linked to Hasina regime appear to have made UK property transactions in past year

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Ben Cowdock @bcowdock.bsky.social · Jul 21

New investigation from @transparencyuk.bsky.social and @theguardian.com finds several Bangladeshis linked Hasina's regime - now under investigation by authorities there - appear to have either sold, transferred or refinanced UK property since the revolution began. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Call for asset freezes after figures under investigation in Dhaka employed services of UK law firms and consultants

NCA freezes £90m of London property linked to former Bangladesh regime

Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Transparency International UK @transparencyuk.bsky.social · May 27

🗣️ "We urge UK law enforcement to continue their inquiries and to freeze all suspect assets without delay."

With the NCA freezing millions in assets from Bangladesh's former regime, @duncanhames.bsky.social urges UK authorities to freeze more suspect assets.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Two men linked to Sheikh Hasina prevented from selling properties, including apartments in Grosvenor Square

Trust Issues: Tackling the final frontier in secret property ownership

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Ben Cowdock @bcowdock.bsky.social · May 21

Full analysis can be found here, including diagrams to help unpack exactly how trusts are still preventing us from finding out who owns property here. www.transparency.org.uk/news/trust-i...

At least £64bn of property in England and Wales hidden behind opaque trusts

Ben Cowdock @bcowdock.bsky.social · May 21

Guardian coverage here of new analysis by @transparencyuk.bsky.social on the use of trusts to hide the ownership of property. Our research found £2.5bn worth of real estate bought with suspicious wealth and held by trusts. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Campaigners say secretive ownership structures are becoming the ‘go-to vehicle for kleptocrats’

The slow evolution of Companies House reform

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Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Transparency International UK @transparencyuk.bsky.social · Apr 8

📝 BLOG

Is this the end for Adolf Tooth Fairy Hitler?

Companies House can now reject suspicious filings, but 65,000 companies are still breaking beneficial ownership rules.

Read our latest blog on the progress and gaps in UK company law reform. ⤵️

www.transparency.org.uk/news/slow-ev...

Despite promising changes, criminals can continue exploiting gaps in the UK's company registration system.

Muirhouse, SLPs and the King of Fraud

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Ben Cowdock @bcowdock.bsky.social · Apr 7

Great story highlighting the loopholes and oversight issues that make Scottish Limited Partnerships attractive to crooks. Featuring the "King of Fraud" and a company owner that is in fact, no longer alive. theferret.scot/muirhouse-sl...

How Scottish Limited Partnerships (SLPs) linked to global fraud, money laundering, and sanctioned individuals are hiding in plain sight, from Muirhouse flats to Tesco-adjacent offices.

theferret.scot

The Economic Consequences of State Capture

Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Liz David-Barrett @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social · Apr 4

I have a new piece out in Foreign Affairs on how #statecapture ruins economies and livelihoods...

www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...

Oligarchs are warping markets and corrupting economies around the world.

www.foreignaffairs.com

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Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Steve Goodrich @stevejgoodrich.bsky.social · Apr 4

Is this the beginning of the end for 'Adolf Tooth Fairy Hitler'? Hopefully... from @bcowdock.bsky.social @transparencyuk.bsky.social www.transparency.org.uk/news/slow-ev...

The slow evolution of Companies House reform

Despite promising changes, criminals can continue exploiting gaps in the UK's company registration system.

The slow evolution of Companies House reform

Ben Cowdock @bcowdock.bsky.social · Apr 2

18 months on from landmark Companies House legislation and it's looking more like evolution than revolution. Some solid progress already achieved, but a long way still to go. www.transparency.org.uk/news/slow-ev...

Despite promising changes, criminals can continue exploiting gaps in the UK's company registration system.

MPs think they may have been targets of ‘disinformation’ over Bangladesh inquiry

Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · Mar 24

Exc: MPs sound alarm over "disinformation" articles written by fake journalists.

The target was Ahsan Mansur, who is seeking UK help tracing assets allegedly stolen from Bangladesh under the regime of Sheikh Hasina and laundered into British property.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Group received emails about Ahsan Mansur, the central bank official investigating money laundering allegations

Huge win! Government announces plan to open up Land Registry

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Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · Mar 21

On Wednesday we published an interactive map showing the tens of thousands of UK companies hiding their beneficial owner. It's now updated - with filters and search functions.

In this thread I use it to uncover a truly shocking and unexpected case of hidden ownership.

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Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Transparency International UK @transparencyuk.bsky.social · Mar 19

🗣️ "There'll be undoubtedly LLPs being used in this kind of activity. They're being used either directly to send goods to Russia... as well as to circumvent sanctions"

@liambyrnemp.bsky.social quizzes @bcowdock.bsky.social on if LLPs registered with Companies House are being used to evade sanctions

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Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Transparency International UK @transparencyuk.bsky.social · Mar 19

🗣️ "This has made them really attractive to money launderers, crooks and sanctioned individuals."

This afternoon @bcowdock.bsky.social gave evidence to the Business and Trade Committee and explained why Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) are so attractive for those seeking to hide illicit wealth.

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Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · Mar 6

Huge win! Government announces plans to open up the Land Registry.

If delivered, will finally reveal more about who owns land in England and Wales.

Read my blog post for more details & how you can write to the Minister to make sure this now happens:

whoownsengland.org/2025/03/06/h...

🧵1/

This post is by Guy Shrubsole. Today the UK Government has announced plans to open up the Land Registry – which, if delivered, will finally reveal more about who owns land in England and Wale…

whoownsengland.org

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Ben Cowdock @bcowdock.bsky.social · Feb 28

Big questions to answer for the service providers in the UK who facilitated these purchases. www.ft.com/content/ec75...

The Bangladeshi politician who built a shadowy global property empire

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his family bought 482 properties overseas costing $295mn. The new government wants some of that money back

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Ben Cowdock

Aubrey Belford @abelf.bsky.social · Feb 7

If you're a US investigator whose work on Russian oligarchs and global kleptocrats just got shut down, consider reaching out to OCCRP.

Me (Signal): cakrawala.99

occrp.org

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

occrp.org

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Ben Cowdock @bcowdock.bsky.social · Feb 5

The BVI has unveiled its plans to make company ownership more transparent. Unfortunately these plans would do very little to stop the money laundering that happens there on an industrial scale and may even put users of the new system in danger. Read more here: www.transparency.org.uk/news/smokesc...

A smokescreen for secrecy

Why the British Virgin Island’s corporate register reform plans fall flat