Kazi Zafarullah

Zafarullah was born in April 1947, the eldest son of Kazi Mahbubullah and Begum Zebunnessa. He was educated at St Gregory's High School and Dhaka College, and has bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University of Dhaka.{{cite web |url=http://zebunnessakazimahboobullahtrust.org/founder.html |title=Founder |website=Begum Zebunnessa and Kazi Mahboobullah Janakalyan Trust |date= |accessdate=2016-04-07}}

Zafarullah was critically injured in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack which targeted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.{{Cite news |title=Assassination attempt on Hasina |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/08/22/d4082201011.htm |access-date=2024-07-09 |newspaper=The Daily Star | date=22 August 2004}}

In 2005, Zafarullah attended a meeting between Sheikh Hasina and the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Anwar Choudhury.{{Cite news |title=UK envoy meets Hasina |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2005/08/08/d50808061272.htm |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star}}

Zafarullah hosted a dinner for Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, the newly appointed High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, attended by diplomats and Awami League leaders on 1 February 2007.{{Cite news |title=14-party, JP leaders sit in dinner with diplomats |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/02/01/d70201011710.htm |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star}} On 10 April, he criticized a case being filed against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and called it a conspiracy.{{Cite news |title=Hasina says she will face situation on her return |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/04/10/d7041001158.htm |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star}} The joint forces arrested him from in front of his home in Gulshan Thana on 18 April 2007 on three cases.{{cite news |date=2008-01-16 |title=Kazi Zafarullah freed on bail |newspaper=The Daily Star |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-19440 |accessdate=2016-04-07}}{{Cite news |title=AL leaders Zafrullah, Ashim Ukil, BNP leader Toymur held |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/04/19/d7041901044.htm |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star}} He was sent to jail on 20 April.{{Cite news |title=Kazi Zafarullah, Ashim Ukil sent on one-month detention |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/04/20/d7042001107.htm |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star}} He was freed on 11 December on bail but arrested from the gate of the jail again as he was leaving under state of emergency powers. On 16 January 2008, he received bail and was released from jail according to Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui. In 25 January, he was indicted in an extortion case filed by Gazi Golam Dastagir.{{Cite news |date=2008-02-25 |title=Kazi Zafarullah indicted for extortion |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-24864 |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star |agency=UNB |language=en}} Mohammad Noor Ali of Unique Group alleged he gave Sajeeb Wajed Joy, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, half a floor at the UTC building located on Panthapath and registered under Zafarullah's name as commission on MiG-29 purchase deal.{{Cite news |title=Hasina got Tk 1cr in MiG-29 deal |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/06/13/d7061301033.htm |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star}}

The Anti Corruption Commission pressed charges against Zafarullah in September 2008 for having 152.3 million taka beyond his known source of income and for hiding 70 million taka in his wealth statement submitted to the commission.{{Cite news |date=2008-09-26 |title=Kazi Zafarullah charged with amassing wealth illegally |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-56565 |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}} He was also charged with money laundering 70 million taka.

On 11 February 2009, the Anti Corruption Commission cleared Zafarullah, his wife, two sons on corruption charges.{{Cite news |date=2009-02-11 |title=ACC clears AL leader Zafarullah's wife, sons of graft charges |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-75403 |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}}

In 2013, it was reported that Zafarullah and his wife and other family members had created a network of offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands from 2006 to 2008.{{cite news |last=Bergman |first=David |date=2013-07-12 |title=AL leader's family set up offshore cos |url=http://old-archives.newagebd.net/detail.php?date=2013-07-12&nid=56721 |newspaper=New Age |location=Dhaka |accessdate=2016-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421214813/http://old-archives.newagebd.net/detail.php?date=2013-07-12&nid=56721 |archive-date=2016-04-21 |url-status=dead }} In 2014, he lost his seat as an MP to an independent candidate, Nixon Chowdhury.{{cite news |title=Rebel candidate beats AL presidium member |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/01/06/rebel-candidate-beats-al-presidium-member |work=bdnews24.com |date=2014-01-06 |accessdate=2016-04-07}} Chowdhury, who is related to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, received 98,300 votes while Zafarullah received 72,248 votes. Sheikh Hasina did not give the nomination to Nixon as he was an accused in the Padma Bridge graft scandal which he denied.

Zafarullah was nominated by Awami League to contest the 2018 election from Faridpur-4 and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina campaigned for him.{{Cite news |date=2018-12-14 |title=Every vote matters |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/bangladesh-national-election-2018/prime-minister-sheikh-hasina-leaves-tungipara-dhaka-1673038 |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}} He received 94,234 votes but lost the election to Nixon Chowdhury who received 144,179 votes.{{Cite web |date=2018-11-25 |title=Faridpur-4 - Constituency detail of Bangladesh General Election 2018 |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/bangladesh-national-election-2018/seats?s=Faridpur-4&d=dhaka |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}

Zafarullah is a presidium member of Awami League.{{Cite news |last=Bhattacharjee |first=Partha Pratim |last2=Apu |first2=Ashik Abdullah |date=2022-08-09 |title=AL ranks irked over hike in fuel prices |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/al-ranks-irked-over-fuel-price-surge-3090931 |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}} In August 2022, he was part of a Awami League delegation that meet the Election Commission to discuss the upcoming national election.{{Cite news |date=2022-08-23 |title=EVMs will be used in max 150 constituencies next election |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/elections/news/evms-will-be-used-max-150-constituencies-next-election-3101376 |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}}

His wife, Nilufer Zafar, is also a member of parliament and chairman of Midland Bank.{{Cite web |title=Message from Chairman – Midland Bank Ltd |url=https://www.midlandbankbd.net/message-from-chairman/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |language=en-US}} Zafarullah and his wife were named in the 2016 Panama Papers leak.{{cite news |title=Bangladeshis not outside Panama Papers |url=http://www.observerbd.com/2016/04/07/145571.php |newspaper=The Daily Observer |accessdate=2016-04-07 |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226141952/http://www.observerbd.com/2016/04/07/145571.php%20 |url-status=dead }} His younger brother, Kazi Ekramullah, was a director of Midland Bank and a industrialist.{{Cite news |title=Entrepreneur, philanthropist Kazi Ekramullah dies |url=https://www.newagebd.net/article/170656/entrepreneur-philanthropist-kazi-ekramullah-dies |access-date=2022-11-01 |work=New Age |language=en}}

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Category:1947 births

Category:Living people

Category:8th Jatiya Sangsad members

Category:Awami League politicians

Category:Dhaka College alumni

Category:St. Gregory's High School and College alumni

Category:People named in the Offshore Leaks report