After nearly a decade of investigation, Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has prepared a draft charge sheet in the Bangladesh Bank reserve theft case and submitted it to the Attorney General’s office for legal opinion.
In what is considered the country’s largest financial scam in history, a total of 64 individuals and institutions—both domestic and foreign—have been accused in the case.
The draft charge sheet names 10 prominent figures, including former Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman; veteran banker Anis A Khan; AKM Abdul Wadud; and Bangladesh Bank officials Shubhankar Saha, Rezaul Karim, Zobair Bin Huda, AFM Asaduzzaman, Mejbaul Haque, Abul Kashem, and Md. Sultan Mahmud Ahmed.
The nearly 10,000-page charge sheet contains extensive forensic evidence against the accused. Criminal analysts have urged swift acceptance of the document and the initiation of trial proceedings, saying it would send a strong message to offenders in the financial sector.
CID chief Additional Inspector General Md. Sibgat Ullah, who oversaw the preparation of the draft charge sheet, said it was compiled after collecting “100% information, evidence, and witness statements,” before being submitted to the Attorney General’s office.
Former interim government law adviser Dr Asif Nazrul headed a six-member review committee formed through a gazette notification, which included special assistant to the chief adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb.
“We inspected the central bank and spoke with its officials. We examined technical issues and consulted the investigating officers,” Taiyeb said. “As far as we have learned, the names of 10 local individuals came up during the investigation.”
According to CID, in February 2016, $101 million was stolen from Bangladesh Bank’s reserves held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Unknown hackers reportedly sent fraudulent instructions through the SWIFT payment system to siphon off the funds.
A case was filed by Bangladesh Bank 39 days after the incident under the Money Laundering Prevention Act at Motijheel Police Station. CID has led the investigation from the outset.
On March 11 last year, the interim government formed a six-member review committee headed by Dr. Asif Nazrul through a gazette notification. Under its supervision, the investigation was completed. The draft charge sheet was later prepared on April 1 and submitted to the Attorney General’s office, along with a request for legal opinion.
CID’s Financial Crime unit Additional Superintendent of Police Al Mamun, the latest investigating officer who took charge in December last year, said there were no pending tasks in the investigation.
“The draft charge sheet has been prepared based on 100 percent evidence and submitted to the Attorney General’s office. Legal opinion has also been sought. The next steps will follow upon receipt of that opinion,” he said.
Earlier investigators’ account
Before Al Mamun, Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Farhad Kabir led the investigation from May to December 2025, during which he collected key forensic evidence and helped identify the main accused.
However, he noted that while most investigative work was nearing completion, the principal perpetrator could not initially be identified through available evidence. After reviewing forensic findings, the FBI identified North Korean hacker Park Jin Hyok and the Lazarus Group, which he led.