Staff Reporter :
A high-level meeting was held on Monday evening at the office of the Attorney General for taking steps against the persons who are involved in laundering money to the overseas.
Representatives from the ministries of home affairs and foreign affairs, Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the attorney general were present in the meeting.
A decision was taken for submitting a compliance report in court on December 17 this year, said advocate Khurshid Alam Khan who represented the ACC in the meeting.
Earlier on November 22 this year the High Court sought all kinds of information of the persons who are involved in laundering money to the overseas including their names, addresses and legal steps taken against them.
Home secretary, foreign secretary, Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and National Board of Revenue (NBR) were asked to submit a report in court within December 17 this year complying with the order.
The HC Bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel came up with the order on a Suo Moto (voluntary) move following some news reports published recently in different newspapers.
The court also issued a rule in this regard asking the respondents to explain in four weeks as to why the inaction of the respondents in taking appropriate legal initiatives against the money launderer government officials, businessmen, politicians, bankers and others should not be declared illegal.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen recently said he was surprised to see the number of government officials who siphoned off money and sent the amounts to Toronto, Canada, outnumbering politicians.
“It was an initial information. We have to verify it,” he told reporters referring to information the government has about 28 cases. Of the 28 cases, only four are linked to politicians while the rest to government officials and a few businesspeople. “I thought that the number of politicians would be higher. I was surprised, though the information is not comprehensive,” said the minister.
Momen was talking to reporters at an interaction session with Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital.
He said many government officials have houses in Toronto and their children are studying there. Such a situation is not only there in Canada, but also in Malaysia, he added.
