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Gemcon Group
Bangladeshi diversified conglomerate From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gemcon Group (Bengali: জেমকন গ্রুপ) is a Bangladeshi diversified conglomerate based in Dhaka. The directors of the family-run conglomerate face prosecution by the Anti-Corruption Commission for amassing illicit wealth and money laundering.[1] In addition, a Dhaka court imposed travel ban on the directors of the group for loan defaulting.[2] Gemcon Group is in the highlighted list of 10 companies being pursued by the Bangladesh Bank to recover laundered money.[3]
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History
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Perspective
Gemcon Group was established in 1979 through Castle Construction.[4] It was founded by Kazi Shahid Ahmed who was also the chairperson of the group.[5][6] It is a family owned company; Ahmed's three sons, Kazi Anis Ahmed,[7] Kazi Inam Ahmed, and Kazi Nabil Ahmed, are directors of the company.[8]
Kazi Shahid Ahmed is also the founder of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). He died on 28 August 2023.[9]
Gemcon group provides awards for writers and poets that it gives annually.[10] It started as Kagoj Tarun Sahitya Puraskar. In 2003, the award was renamed to Best Book Award. It was renamed in 2007 Gemcon Sahitya Puroshkar.[11][12]
Gemcon Group owned Ajker Kagoj. It closed the newspaper with a one-day notice to its employees.[13] Kazi Anis Ahmed is the publisher of Dhaka Tribune and Bangla Tribune.[13]
In January 2020, Gemcon announced it is in talks to acquire Agora Super Stores and merge it with Meena Bazar. The merger would make Meena Bazar the biggest retail chain in Bangladesh.[14] Gemcon Khulna won the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in December 2020.[15]
During the tenure of the Awami League government, Gemcon Group was one of the four companies close to then State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid (Bipu), a political connection that allowed them a significant portion of the procurement of electricity poles - locally known as khamba - under various projects of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB). An investigation by Prothom Alo revealed that Gemcon Group - owned by former Awami League MP from Jashore-3, Kazi Nabil Ahmed - received contracts worth Tk 9.01 billion, or 17 per cent of the total procurement value, supplying around 300,000 poles.[16]
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Court actions and media reporting
In September 2025, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two separate cases against Kazi Anis Ahmed, chief executive officer of Gemcon Group, and his brother Kazi Inam Ahmed, director of the group, on charges of money laundering and illegally amassing wealth.[17]
In March 2025, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission to seize 4.26 crore shares of 36 companies of Gemcon Group in connection with corruption charges. The 36 companies of the Gemcon Group include Castle Construction Co. Ltd, Gemcon Ltd, Charka SPC Poles Ltd, Kazi &Kazi Tea Estate Ltd, Charka Steel Ltd, Karotaya Tea Estate Ltd, Rawshanpur Tea Frontier Ltd, Gemcon Tea Estate Ltd, Pathar Ltd, Gemcon Food & Agriculture Products Ltd, Gemcon City Ltd, Gem Jute Ltd, Bengal Herbal Garden Ltd, Gemcon Sea Food Ltd, Meena Sweets and Confectioneries Ltd, Gemcon Renewable Energy Technology Ltd, Memcon agro Ltd, Gemcon Constrcution Ltd.[18]
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Businesses
- Castle Construction[19]
- Gemcon Limited[20]
- Charka Steel Limited[21]
- Kazi & Kazi Tea Estate[22] sells Teatulia Organic Teas; the first organic tea in Bangladesh. The plantation is located in Panchagarh District.[23]
- Gemcon Food & Agricultural Products Limited (Meena Bazar)[24][25]
- Meena Click[26] (an online grocery shop)
- Meena Sweets[27]
- Gemcon City Limited[28]
- Gem Jute[29]
- Gemini Sea Food[30]
- Organikare[31]
- University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh[32][33]
- Kazi Shahid Foundation[34]
- Abahani Limited Dhaka[35]
- Gemcon Khulna[36][37]
- Meena Bazar, Super Store.[38]
See also
References
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