NN Online:
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday accused the former ruling regime and its allies of attempting to exploit the country’s instability through illicitly acquired wealth.
Speaking at a press briefing at the BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan, Rizvi alleged that funds laundered during the previous regime are being used to orchestrate unrest, claiming that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is relying on this “black money” to provoke incidents across the country.
“This laundered money has become a tonic for Sheikh Hasina, aiding her efforts to destabilize the nation,” Rizvi said. He linked the rise in crimes such as robbery and theft to this alleged misuse of illicit funds.
Rizvi warned that voices from the “fugitive fascist regime” are re-emerging, particularly in Dhaka. He said, “There’s a saying—‘money talks.’ Sheikh Hasina is using this principle to fuel disorder with siphoned-off wealth and the backing of a mafia economy.”
He questioned how key allies of the former government, reportedly detained after Hasina left the country on August 5 last year, managed to escape custody. “This suggests collusion within the state apparatus, with many collaborators still operating from within the administration,” he claimed.
Rizvi further accused Sheikh Hasina of issuing provocative statements from abroad and cited former minister Shahjahan Khan as one of several detained figures making threats while in court. He criticized their defiant behavior as part of a plan to undermine the interim government.
He also alleged bias in the justice system, stating that while BNP leaders and religious scholars were brought to court in handcuffs, Awami League members facing serious charges are treated with undue leniency. “Hasina’s oligarchs remain embedded in the police and Home Ministry, manipulating the system from within,” he concluded.
