The High Court on Sunday instructed the Anti-Corruption Commission chairman to submit a progress report by next Sunday on the ongoing investigation into money laundering allegations against S Alam Group chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam and his wife Farzana Parveen.

A vacation bench of justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah and justice Kazi Zinat Hoque issued the directive, asking ACC lawyer Shaheen Ahmed to relay the court’s verbal order.

The order was made during the hearing of a writ petition filed in the last week by Supreme Court lawyer Md Rukunuzzaman, which sought an inquiry into alleged offshore investments totaling Tk 11,000 crore by Saiful Alam and his wife.

On February 5, 2024, the Appellate Division quashed a suo moto order issued by the High Court on August 6, 2023, which had initially called for an investigation into the matter.

However, the Appellate Division emphasised that the ACC and Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit retained the authority to investigate the allegations if they found it appropriate.

During Monday’s hearing, ACC lawyer Shaheen Ahmed informed the court that the commission had already decided to move forward with an investigation.

The High Court then directed the ACC to provide an update on the progress of the probe during the next hearing, scheduled for Sunday.