Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Ahsan H Mansur said Bangladesh is ramping up efforts to retrieve funds siphoned out of the country, with officials from the World Bank, the United States, and the United Kingdom scheduled to visit Dhaka this week for critical discussions.
“We are actively pursuing those who fled abroad with Bangladesh’s funds, and coordinated actions are taking place at both national and international levels,” Mansur stated at the 3rd Bangladesh Economic Summit 2024, organised by the Bangla daily Bonik Barta at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
Teams from the US Treasury and Justice Departments are expected to arrive this week, alongside officials from the British government and representatives of the World Bank’s StAR (Stolen Asset Recovery) initiative, which focuses on recovering illicit assets, are also expected to participate in the discussions, he added. The government aims to establish a structured plan,
potentially including bilateral agreements, to facilitate the lawful repatriation of these funds, according to Mansur.
He also plans to meet with the Singapore high commissioner, currently in Bangladesh, to ensure Singapore's alignment with the recovery process.
"If funds have been siphoned abroad, we will work to establish our claim. We are making every effort to bring the money back through legal channels," he said.
Mansur said significant progress has already been made.
"We've already cast a net."
The BB is also working to bring back stability in the banking sector, encouraging savers, who have withdrawn their funds out of anxiety, to keep deposits again.
