Despite challenges, the interim government is making significant efforts to recover laundered money from abroad, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said.
“The government is committed to bringing back the laundered money,” Shafiqul said during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy on Sunday.
In response to a question, Shafiqul said that during a meeting with heads of state and representatives from various organizations in the US in September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the chief adviser made it clear that addressing money laundering was a key agenda item for his government.
He said Prof Yunus discussed the issue with Western ambassadors in Bangladesh, adding that the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) is actively working on it.
Additionally, the finance adviser and the central bank governor discussed the matter during their annual meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the government is in talks with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding this issue.
“You know it is a tough task, but we are putting forth all our efforts. We are exploring ways to bring the money back to the country,” he said.
“This money belongs to the people of Bangladesh. We hope that if the stolen funds are returned, it will benefit the people of the country,” Shafiqul added.
At a meeting on Saturday, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said that between $12 billion and $15 billion was siphoned off from Bangladesh each year under the Awami League regime.