Staff Reporter :
The Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard on Wednesday said that the Bangladesh government did not want any specific information of the deposited money by its nationals in the Swiss banks. She further said that there were allegations about the deposited money that it had mostly been amassed through illegal means
The Swiss National Bank, the central bank of Switzerland, in its annual report in June found that the Bangladeshi account holders deposited some Tk 3,000 crore in different Swiss Banks last year.
The Swiss envoy made the remarks in the DCAB Talks organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital. DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus moderated the function while General Secretary of the organisation AKM Moinuddin delivered the welcome speech.
“There are allegations that a big portion of the deposited money in various Swiss banks had been earned illegally. But the Bangladesh government so far did not ask for any specific information about it from the Swiss banks or its authorities,” Nathalie Chuard said.
She also said that her government informed Bangladesh about what needs to be done to obtain the information but it has not been sought.
“It is possible to exchange such information on the basis of the consent of the two parties and it has to be established. We are working with Bangladesh on this. We are committed to maintain international standards,” she continued.
Mentioning the financial contribution of the Swiss banks in their national economy, the Ambassador said that the Swiss banks had a contribution of 10 percent to its GDP.
“Our banks are not the safe haven of illegal money. The banks are doing various reforms and maintaining international standards. Our banks do not attract others to deposit illegal money with them,” she said.
“The Swiss National Bank every year publishes reports how much money has been deposited from different countries including Bangladesh. But it is not possible to say whether these deposited money have been earned illegally or not,” she noted.
Apart from this, the envoy answered various questions on the resolution of Rohingya crisis, Bangladesh-Switzerland trade relations and investment.
About Swiss government’s cooperation in resolving the Rohingya crisis, she said, “Switzerland is working with Bangladesh to resolve the crisis and providing humanitarian assistance. We want a sustainable solution of it. Myanmar government has not created any convenient environment in Rakhine. We are trying to work here with others.”
In reply to a query, she said that the trade between the two friendly countries have been increased in the last one decade and it has now stood at around $100 crore.
The Ambassador also said that a number of Swiss companies have been working here and the Swiss government has been trying to enhance bilateral trade relations.
