Ragib Ali ( bn, রাগীব আলী; born 10 October 1936) is a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

-born British

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

, pioneer tea-planter and

educationalist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

. He is also associated with bank, insurance companies, and many other businesses. He is the founder of

Leading University Leading University ( bn, লিডিং ইউনিভার্সিটি) or LU is a private university of Bangladesh. It was established in 2001 under the Private University Act 1992. The campus of LU is located in Ragib Nagar, Kamal Baz ...

, Sylhet. In 2017, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption by the lower court, but later on he was granted bail by the Supreme Court, Dhaka

Early life

Ali was born in Talibpur, Kamal Bazaar,

Bishwanath Bishwanath ( bn, বিশ্বনাথ) is an upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. History One of the palaces of Gour Govinda, the last Hindu ruler of Sylhet, was situated in present-day Bishwanath. Its ruins ar ...

Sylhet District Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division. History Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

. He has eight brothers. Ali was educated in what is now Bangladesh. He studied at the Raza G.C High School and College of Sylhet. In 1956, at the age of 20, he moved to the United Kingdom to further his education.

Career

In 1961, after completing his education Ali started being involved in business. Once in the UK, he transformed himself from an ordinary waiter to a leading entrepreneur. He still has links with UK through his family members, who live in London as well as in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, where majority of his father's family now live in. Ali is the chairman of Sylhet Tea Company Ltd. and several other tea estates in

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

and

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

. He is also the managing director of Kohinoor Industries Ltd. He is the chairman of Southeast Bank Limited. He has played a pioneering role in the tea industry. He is involved in charitable activities and has set up numerous trusts and educational institutions. Ali is the founder chairman of

Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College (JRRMC) ( bn, জালালাবাদ রাগীব-রাবেয়া মেডিকেল কলেজ) is a private medical school in Bangladesh, established in 1995. It is located in the Path ...

. He is also the immediate past chairman of

North South University North South University ( bn, নর্থ সাউথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, also known as NSU) is a private university based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Its business school is the first Bangladeshi university to receive Americ ...

Foundation. He is also the founder of

and

University of Asia Pacific University of Asia Pacific ( bn, ইউনিভার্সিটি অব এশিয়া প্যাসিফিক) often abbreviated as UAP is a private university located at Dhaka, Bangladesh. History The University of Asia Pacific was ...

. He also contributed in many schools and established many colleges around Bangladesh.

Controversy

The Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against him for amassing illegal wealth and concealing information about his assets. He was also accused of illegal occupation of property of the minority Hindu community which he was subsequently forced to give back. He along with his family fled to India to avoid arrest. However, they were sent back to Bangladesh after being arrested in Assam after their visa expired. He along with his son, Syed Abdul Hye, was convicted in court and Ragib was sentenced to 14 years in Jail on 6 April 2017. He had grabbed the land (tea estate) in 1990 after forcing the Shebayet (caretaker) Pankaj Kumar Gupta to flee to India. His daughter, son-in-law, and another relative were also convicted by the court. However, he got bail on these cases on 29 October 2018,eleven months after the conviction from the Supreme Court.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Ragib 1938 births Living people Bangladeshi emigrants to the United Kingdom Bangladeshi businesspeople British businesspeople British planters People from Bishwanath Upazila Bangladeshi male criminals