Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Bank’s surveillance department has directed money-laundering department to investigate the offshore banking transaction amounting to TK2000 crore of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, officials said.
BB termed the said transaction layering in eye of money laundering as the bank already transferred Tk 1,621 crore by complex process in different brances from that amount.
“BB found suspicious transactions by assessing a financial statement of 2013 in the middle of last year when a surveillance team went to the bank. But the team did not receive any satisfactory answer from the Islami Bank’s concern officials about it,” insiders said.
Later, BB’s surveillance team requested Financial Intelligence Unit of Money Laundering Department to conduct extensive investigation. “It is false. I have not heard such type of information before. Besides, we did not send any explanation to BB before,” said Mohammad Abdul Mannan, Managing Director of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited.
“Islami Bank showed Tk 1,621 crore in Offshore Banking Unit as investment but it did not show in the credit liability. If the said money goes in the OBU, that amount must show as wealth in the balance sheet of principal office,” said a money laundering official. According to rules, all the banks have to promise to abide by the central bank rules following investigation of Offshore Banking but Islami Bank did not sign on basis of investigation in 2003, he said. Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Mahfuzur Rahman said that, we are instructed about offshore banking. We must take necessary step if Islami Bank violates the rules.
