The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has sent Mutual Legal Assistance Requests (MLAR) to 14 countries for information regarding alleged money laundering by the country's businessmen, politicians, industrialist, and government officials.
“The commission has already received replies from five countries,” ACC Secretary M Maksudul Hasan Khan revealed the information at the monthly press briefing held at the commission's headquarters at the capital's Segunbagicha on Thursday.
He, however, did not disclose the names of those 14 countries and the suspected money launderers.
Foreign Ministry sources said at least 648 people had applied for the second home project in various countries during the first term of the incumbent government. Among them 287 are from the Awami League, 96 from BNP-Jaamat and the rest 265 persons are government officials, businessmen and industrialists.
An official of the ACC requesting anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune: “Through this second home project many businessmen and political figures siphoned off large chunks of money to other countries. They converted Bangladeshi money into US dollars through money exchange and then siphoned those off illegally.”
“The commission will take action against the money launderers after getting information from those countries,” Maksudul Hasan said at the press briefing.
Responding to a query, he said the commission had launched a probe to collect information about the 16 bureaucrats who had allegedly forged their freedom fighter certificates.
“The commission will take action against them if they are found guilty after the inquiry,” he added.
