In a rare show of anger and frustration, some Jatiya Party MPs and the lone BNP woman lawmaker while taking part in a discussion on thanksgiving motion on the President’s speech in the Parliament on Tuesday said the banking sector has been struggling to survive from the rising defaulted loans and financial scams.
The lawmakers wanted to know who are these money plunderers and looters? What is their identity? Are they in the party or in the government or surrounding the government?
It is known that the perpetrators of the crime have usually been “tied to the power structure” and hence have often “determined the terms” that have allowed them to get away with it. And because of them the financial sector is almost in a total chaos now.
According to a media report in a national daily, the lawmakers have also raised the dissimilarity of export earnings data provided by the Export Development Bureau (EDB) and the Bangladesh Bank (BB). As per EDB data, Bangladesh’s export earning was US$ 100 billion in last five years while the BB information shows US$ 80 billion during the same period. It means there is a difference of US$ 100 billion between the two institutions.
As reported, the lawmakers alleged that Bangladesh’s siphoned off money is being invested in the Second Home project in Malaysia and was used to build Begumpara in Canada. They alleged that the banking sector is witnessing huge corruption due to the “failure of Bangladesh Bank”.
Sources at the ACC said PK Halder has laundered over Tk 10,200 crore from four NBFIs to Canada, Singapore and India. However, arresting Haldar alone will not be enough. People who were helping him should also get punishment.
Similarly, BASIC Bank, once a healthy state-owned bank, is now all but destroyed because of Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu, who was chairman of the bank from 2009-2013. But he is still untouched. State-run Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali banks have also been hit by big loan scams.
Nothing new has been revealed. Only important thing these corruption and plundering activities and persons involved came out in the government managed parliament. Such a huge illegal outflow of capital is happening even at a time when the country is suffering from lack of an investment and the people are going through economic hardship.
We are not surprised that efforts are lacking to force them return the money stolen and laundered outside. Anti-Corruption Commission can selectively file corruption cases but money remains where it is. So, disclosures are meaningless. The opposition is also not in a position to be effective.
