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Published : 26 Mar 2025, 03:14 AM
Describing rampant corruption as Bangladesh's "biggest problem”, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said the previous Awami League government took the practice to the "top position" globally.
Corruption not only leads to "unbelievable cost overruns", but also "distorts" all government and public programmes, he said.
"The objectives of the government, the policies, the institutional arrangements, the responsibilities of the officials, everything that is written on paper becomes meaningless."
The chief advisor addressed the nation on Tuesday evening ahead of the Independence Day and Eid-ul-Fitr. His speech was broadcast live on state television.
Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from the premiership and fled to India on Aug 5, 2024.
The one-and-a-half-decade rule of the Awami League government came to an end with this.
On Aug 8 last year, the advisory council of the Yunus-led interim government was sworn in at Bangabhaban.
On the same day, the chief advisor delivered his first address to the nation.
He noted that after 16 years of what he called Hasina's “terrible looting,” they left behind a “shattered economy” as they fled in the wake of the student-led uprising.
Highlighting the initiatives taken by his administration to recover the economy, he said: "One of the interim government’s tasks was to restore confidence in the banking system, establish discipline by protecting the interests of depositors, and establish credibility in accounts.”
He added that restoring confidence in the banking system has also helped reestablish discipline in the broader economy.
Terming inflation as one of the government’s biggest challenges, he said: “Inflation has come down to 9.32 percent in February, which is the lowest in 22 months. It is expected to fall below 8 percent in June."
The chief advisor also highlighted the record in remittance flow, saying: "The expatriate Bangladeshis have brought relief to the country's devastated economy.
“Remittances have steadily increased since the interim government took charge. Remittance inflows hit a record in February, rising nearly 25 percent to $2.5 billion."
Yunus said the country's banks were "taken over" like the "occupation of Char lands" during the tenure of the "fugitive government".
"The depositors' money was converted into their personal money."
He continued, "We know that $234 billion has been siphoned off in the last 15 years during the looting spree of the previous government. We also know the ways used to launder the money. One method of laundering has shocked everyone.
"This has been done in the name of sending money to children studying abroad. She has sent $33.3 million, or about Tk 4 billion, to the official banking channel for a semester or three months' expenses for her child's education. "
The advisor highlighted that international efforts have been intensified to bring these money launderers under the law quickly.
He says it is impossible to run businesses if we cannot be free from corruption.
"The entire world got to know that we are not honest as a nation. It's not just a matter of scandal, but suicidal for international trade.
"Like the countrymen, the global community also wants us to be corruption-free as they want to enhance trade and business with us. There is no way for Bangladesh except getting rid of graft."
Highlighting that the government is giving top priority to making all the works corruption-free, Yunus said: "We are committed to ensuring that the citizens of the country are free from government-sponsored corruption in the coming days while trying to keep the tenure of this government corruption-free."
