Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, surprised by the report presented by the White Paper Preparation Committee, led by Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, has called the widespread looting in Bangladesh under Hasina’s regime shocking, saying it is deserving of inclusion in textbooks, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Sunday evening, Shafiqul said the government would make arrangements to recover this money.
It was a historical document and would be shared with everyone, he quoted Yunus as saying.
The press secretary said all those involved in stealing the country's money would face justice.
For seven scrutinized projects, the initial estimated cost was Tk114,000 crore. By inflating component costs, overestimating land prices and manipulating procurement processes, the project expenses were revised to Tk195,000 crore, according to the committee.
Shafiqul said the cost of these projects had increased by about 70% without a proper cost-benefit analysis.
Quoting one member of the committee, Dr AK Enamul Haque, he highlighted that over Tk700,000 crore had been spent on the Annual Development Program over the past 15 years, with 40% of the funds embezzled by bureaucrats.
"Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed (former land minister) built a tunnel under the Karnaphuli River to serve his constituency, but it remains unused. This reflects how public funds were squandered. The white paper will detail how this money was funnelled abroad."
Regarding the printing of money, Shafiqul said: “The Awami League printed Tk60,000 crore in the six months before its collapse, primarily to assist S Alam in laundering money. The current government has printed Tk22,500 crore to support banks.”
He said the newly printed Tk22,500 crore would have no significant impact on inflation, likening it to "water from a fountain."
