Bank and Financial Institutions Division has already informally communicated the matter to the Anti-Money Laundering Council, according to official sources.
In the absence of Finance Minister AMA Muhith, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan will discuss the matter today in the Parliament.
“We are going to file a lawsuit against Philren Money Remittance Limited and Philippine casino as per the directive given by the government high-up,” said a Finance Division official.
Abu Hena Md Razi Hasan, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank and chief of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, however, refused to say that the government would file any such case against the Philippine casino.
He said as the Philippine’s anti-money laundering law doesn’t cover the casino, an Anti-Money Laundering Council team will visit to the country this month to request the authorities to incorporate casino in the law.
Razi Hasan, however, said they want to bring back the money through a “soft process” instead of using the legal options like filing case.
Banking Division sources said a high-level team including the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haq will visit the Philippines this month for the purpose of bringing back the money.
The law minister will talk to the Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte on the matter.
Bangladesh is likely to get back $15.25m of its stolen $81m from the Philippines this month.
Until getting the whole money back, the government decided not to publish probe report on the central bank reserve heist.
The Philippines central bank earlier slapped a record $21m fine on Rizal Commercial Banking Corp in Manila, which was used as a channel to launder the Bangladesh Bank money.
Philrem Services Corporation is a remittance company and a non-bank intermediary while the Solaire Resort & Casino is a resort and casino in Entertainment City, a massive complex built along the Bay City area of Parañaque, in Metro Manila, Philippines.
Last month a Philippines court ordered Philippines central bank to return a portion of the recovered money to Bangladesh authorities. The court also declared Bangladesh as the rightful owner of the funds, totalling $15m.
Unknown hackers tried to steal nearly $1bn from the Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in February this year. They succeeded in transferring $81m to four accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp in Manila.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
