Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday said that Bangladesh has made unprecedented attainments in the macro economy and also in different socio-economic fields over the last 50 years since the country's independence.
"Think tanks and economists across the globe are now praising highly about Bangladesh regarding its achievements over the last 50 years since independence," he said.
The finance minister said this while replying to queries of reporters virtually after chairing two separate meetings on the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Wednesday.
Kamal said that the GDP size of the country has increased by four times over the last 12 years to reach $411 billion when Bangladesh is celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence.
"In all the macroeconomic fronts and in the socioeconomic sector, Bangladesh has made unprecedented attainments.
Bangladesh is also now in a very good position in the social development index," he added.
The finance minister expressed his high optimism that Bangladesh would become the 25th economy of the world by 2035 while it is also expected to make its place among the top 20 economies of the world by 2041.
He said by the year 2041, Bangladesh would be much ahead in materializing the dream of building "Sonar Bangla" as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is moving ahead the country accordingly,"
Echoing with the words of the Premier, Kamal said that such achievements of the country are also the achievements of the countrymen. "Hopefully, such achievements will continue in the coming days also."
When asked about the recent release of the latest "Pandora Papers" where 8 Bangladeshis have been named, Kamal said the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has submitted its report before the High Court following the alleged involvement of Bangladeshis in such papers leak. He denied making further comment on the issue since it is a sub-judice matter.
Kamal said that the ACC has been conducting its investigation over such alleged scams while any comment by him could hamper their areas of work.
He mentioned that a list of 43 individuals have already been submitted before the High Court adding, "I believe that justice will be ensured and we'll accept the court verdict."
Eight Bangladeshis and five addresses with links to Bangladesh were included in the latest document released under the Pandora Papers late Monday night; all of them owned business establishments in the British Virgin Islands.
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However, it does not suggest any wrongdoing and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) also said that the names being mentioned on the list do not necessarily mean they were involved in any illegal activities.
The leaks show that the names of the entities are largely foreign sounding, but the addresses used are located in Bangladesh.
