Salman F Rahman

Salman was born into a Bengali Muslim family in Shinepukur, Dohar, Dhaka District, on 23 May 1951. His parents were Fazlur Rahman, a state minister in Pakistan and Syeda Fatina Rahman. Syeda Fatina was a descendant of Syed Nasiruddin and the Dewan family of Haibatnagar on her father's side, and of Nawab Syed Muhammad Azad and Nawab Abdul Latif on her mother's. Salman has a brother, Ahmed Sohail Fasihur Rahman.

Salman successfully completed his Higher Secondary Examination from Notre Dame College in Dhaka and gained admission into the Physics Department of the University of Dhaka in 1968. Later, he graduated from Karachi University.

In 1966, Rahman and his elder brother, Sohail, began managing a family-owned jute factory. However, in 1972, the government nationalized the factory. The same year, they founded the Bangladesh Export and Import Company Limited (BEXIMCO Group) and initiated the export of seafood and crushed bones to European countries, importing medicines in return. BEXIMCO Group has grown to become one of Bangladesh's premier conglomerates, with subsidiaries such as BexTex, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Beximco Pharma), and Shinepukur Ceramics. With a global workforce exceeding 70,000 people, BEXIMCO is the largest private sector employer in Bangladesh.

In 1976, the two brothers established Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Beximco Pharma). Later on, this company was listed as the first Bangladeshi company at London's Alternative Investment Market. The company is listed in Aim of London Stock Exchange and also accredited by many foreign regulatory authorities, including the US FDA, for its export operations. In addition, it is the first Bangladeshi company to export medicines to Canada.

In 1982, the brothers partnered with the Dubai-based Galadari Brothers Group to establish the country's first private bank, the AB Bank. In 1985, Rahman sold his stake to other partners. Subsequently, the brothers bought a 30% stake in IFIC Bank. Fazlur Rahman became chairman of the bank in 2010 and was re-elected in 2016.

In 2021, BEXIMCO launched a BDT 3,000 crore Sukuk bond.

Rahman owns the Bangla news channel Independent Television. He previously owned the English daily, The Independent, which was launched on 26 March 1995 and ceased publication on 31 January 2022. During its operation, he served as the chairman of the board of editors.

Salman F Rahman is married to Syeda Rubaba Rahman, and they have a son, Shayan Fazlur Rahman. Shayan, once the vice-chairman of IFIC Bank, lost his directorial position in August 2024. Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) also froze the bank accounts of Salman, Shayan, and Shayan's wife, Shazreh Rahman.

Rahman entered politics in the mid-1990s and founded a political party under the banner Samriddhya Bangladesh Andolan. Later, he joined the Bangladesh Awami League. He was their nominee for constituency Dhaka-1 (Dohar Upazila) in the Bangladeshi general election in 2001.

Rahman was the private sector development adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Rahman contested from Dhaka-1 constituency (Dohar and Nawabganj upazilas) in the 2018 parliamentary election and received 3,04,797 votes, while the nearest rival Salma Islam received 38,017 votes. He contested the election with the Awami League's symbol boat and secured 86.5% of the votes of the constituency.

Rahman got 1,49,971 votes under the Dhaka-1 constituency in the controversial January 2024 general election. His closest competitor, Salma Islam from the Jatiyo Party, trailed behind with 34,746 votes.

In 2007, a leaked diplomatic cable from the United States Ambassador to Bangladesh alleged that Rahman was one of the largest bank loan defaulters in Bangladesh.

On 4 February 2007, Rahman was arrested on charges of crime and corruption in 11 cases during the 2006-2008 Bangladeshi political crisis. On 20 August 2008, the High Court of Bangladesh granted him bail in a bank forgery case.

During the 2010-11 share market scam, a probe led by banker Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled implicated Rahman in the scandal. However, in March 2015, Salman and his elder brother were acquitted, and the cases were dismissed after final hearings.

As of August 2024, companies associated with Rahman owe around ৳36,865 crore to four public and three private banks in Bangladesh. According to the Centre for Policy Dialogue, several commercial banks in Bangladesh are now "clinically dead" due to embezzlement of bank capital attributed to Rahman.