‘Assets of Hasina, family members found in 5 countries’
NN Online:
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has revealed that assets belonging to deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members have been discovered in five countries, including the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).
“A joint probe team has found assets of Sheikh Hasina, her family members and the individuals and organisations related to her family in the UK, USA, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Cayman Islands,” he said at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy on Monday afternoon.
Alam said the existence of a Russian slush fund (a reserve of money used for illicit purposes, especially political bribery) was also found in a bank of Malaysia.
He said over Tk 636 crore deposited in 124 bank accounts were attached or frozen, while 60-katha plot of Rajuk and eight flats with 10 decimal land worth Tk 8.85 crore were attached.
The press secretary said six cases were filed against Hasina and her family members on charges of plundering and forgery. Probes were completed and charge-sheets were submitted in six cases, he added.
He said a travel ban was imposed on seven family members of Hasina.
Alam said Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) sent two intelligence reports to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and froze Tk 5.15 crore deposited in 11 bank accounts.
He said the BIFU also sent the details of all bank accounts of Hasina and her family members to the ACC.
About money laundering, the press secretary said during the Sheikh Hasina regime, about $234 billion was laundered abroad from Bangladesh and of the amount, $17 billion was siphoned off from the country’s banking sector.
“It was an extra kind of highway robbery,” he added.
Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretaries Abul Kalam Azad and Apurba Jahangir and Assistant Press Secretary Suchismita Tithi were present.