Drive begins to bring back laundered billions: PM
The government has initiated efforts to sign bilateral agreements with 10 countries to facilitate the repatriation of funds allegedly laundered out of Bangladesh over the past 15 years, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman informed Parliament on Wednesday.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session in the House, he said three countries have already given initial consent to such agreements, while discussions with the remaining seven are ongoing.
According to the prime minister, the countries where the funds were reportedly transferred include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong (China).
He provided the update in response to a question from Cumilla-9 MP Mohammad Abul Kalam during the sixth sitting of the first session of the 13th National Parliament.
The prime minister told Parliament that a significant volume of funds had been transferred abroad during the tenure of the previous government, adding that recovering these assets remains a key priority for the current administration.
Malaysia, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates have responded positively to proposals for signing bilateral agreements, he said, adding that efforts are underway to strengthen cooperation through improved information sharing, asset tracing and legal assistance.
The government is working to sign Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) and exchange Mutual Legal Assistance Requests (MLARs) with the concerned countries to support the recovery of illicit assets.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is leading the initiative in coordination with other relevant ministries and agencies, the prime minister said.
On the enforcement side, a taskforce led by the Bangladesh Bank governor has identified 11 major cases as top priorities.
To accelerate investigations and asset recovery, 11 joint investigation teams (JITs) have been formed, comprising officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), National Board of Revenue (NBR) and Customs Intelligence.
Parliament was also informed that 141 money laundering cases have so far been filed, with verdicts delivered in six cases and charge sheets submitted in 25.
The prime minister reiterated the government’s commitment to recovering laundered public funds through legal processes and international cooperation, emphasising adherence to the rule of law.
