bdnews24.com :
A growing chorus of politicians have called on the government to take action against Bangladeshis who have secretly invested in offshore tax havens following recent revelations.
Eighteen Bangladeshis have been named in the leaked documents known as Paradise Papers, but the government has not taken any action yet, though in Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif had to resign as prime minister facing similar revelations. Now, a minister and a number of MPs in Bangladesh are demanding actions against 18 Bangladeshis, including controversial business tycoon Moosa Bin Shamsher, whose names have appeared as investors in Malta through the Paradise Papers obtained and released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Many Bangladeshis were named in the Panama Papers leaks in 2016 and Paradise Papers in November last year, but no government action against them is visible until now.
Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon has demanded these people be investigated on money-laundering charges. “I hope money-laundering and loan scams will be investigated and those involved in these will be brought to justice. Even Pakistan investigated Panama Papers, but we could not,” he told parliament on Monday.
Khondker Ibrahim Khaled, a former deputy governor of the Bangladesh Bank, says the government agencies should take steps on secret investments abroad by Bangladeshis. “It’s the duty of the Anti-Corruption Commission and the central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit to check the names in it (Paradise Papers). We can’t say from outside what they are doing,” he told bdnews24.com on Wednesday. Transparency International, Bangladesh or
A growing chorus of politicians have called on the government to take action against Bangladeshis who have secretly invested in offshore tax havens following recent revelations.
Eighteen Bangladeshis have been named in the leaked documents known as Paradise Papers, but the government has not taken any action yet, though in Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif had to resign as prime minister facing similar revelations. Now, a minister and a number of MPs in Bangladesh are demanding actions against 18 Bangladeshis, including controversial business tycoon Moosa Bin Shamsher, whose names have appeared as investors in Malta through the Paradise Papers obtained and released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Many Bangladeshis were named in the Panama Papers leaks in 2016 and Paradise Papers in November last year, but no government action against them is visible until now.
Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon has demanded these people be investigated on money-laundering charges. “I hope money-laundering and loan scams will be investigated and those involved in these will be brought to justice. Even Pakistan investigated Panama Papers, but we could not,” he told parliament on Monday.
Khondker Ibrahim Khaled, a former deputy governor of the Bangladesh Bank, says the government agencies should take steps on secret investments abroad by Bangladeshis. “It’s the duty of the Anti-Corruption Commission and the central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit to check the names in it (Paradise Papers). We can’t say from outside what they are doing,” he told bdnews24.com on Wednesday. Transparency International, Bangladesh or
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman also wants the authorities to get down to business.
The ACC says it is investigating the matter but has some legal obstacles. Those who were named in Paradise Papers leaks last week had become directors or shareholders of different companies registered in Malta.
Some of them used foreign addresses while some foreigners used Bangladeshi addresses to invest in Malta, according to the leaked documents.
