Honourable Prime Minister,
Accept my regards. Here I attach briefly what happened in the wake of the recent hacking at Bangladesh Bank. I informed the chief of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of the incident on the very next working day and gave the highest priority to recovering of the money, identifying the parties involved and identifying the weakness in the internal security systems. Later, I also requested the NSI and RAB to look into the matter. RAB is working with international forensic experts. I told them they could take anyone into custody if they suspect.
The incident happened at a time when the country saw hacking of ATMs. It was so complex and unknown that it seemed like an earthquake. I could not understand which direction the attack will come and when. The cyber attack seemed like a terrorist attack. Moreover, it took some time to get an idea about the matter under investigation. Informing the honourable finance minister of the incident was delayed by the challenges of economic stability, image of the country and recovering the money. I informally apprised you of the matter on March 1 upon advice from the security experts after it became clear to me. Later, I inform the finance minister about it in writing. I talked to him over cell phone and international expert also explained it to him. His opinions on this have appeared in reports of newspapers. Whatever I did I did in the interest of the country and as a strategy to recover the money. I did it driven by my conscience.
You will be happy to learn that a portion of the stolen money has been brought back and I believe the rest can also be retrieved. In spite of that, since questions about inefficiency of Bangladesh Bank have arisen and its image worldwide has been tarnished, I do not think I should be in the post of its governor. I have worked with you for a long time. I have received the highest cooperation from you during the seven years of my tenure as the governor. Bangladesh’s economy is now a role model in the world. It would not have been possible without your cooperation. It may be mentioned, I went abroad to attend an inter-government programme upon permission from the government.
Therefore, here I tender my resignation with the hope that your accomplishments be established on stronger base and hereby leave my space for someone more deserving. I have tried to do my duties in light of patriotism and conscience, absolute loyalty to Bangabandhu and you. Please forgive my mistakes, if any, in playing my role and in my behaviour. I wish you and your government the best.
