HC orders list of money laundering suspects with dual citizenship, passports

The High Court has ordered a list of Bangladeshi nationals suspected of money laundering and corruption with dual citizenship and passports.

The list will name those who travel abroad through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Shah Amanat International Airport and MAG Osmani International Airport.

The court ordered the superintendent of immigration police to submit the list by Feb 28.

A High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukdar and Justice Ahmed Sohel issued the order on Monday following the query on name and details of money siphoning to Canada and other countries.

Lawyer Khurshid Alam represented the Anti-Corruption Commission in the court, while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik was the state counsel.

The ACC lawyer appealed for an order to submit a list of those having dual citizenship or dual passports in the country.

“It is important to know the details about the dual passport holders travelling abroad,” the senior judge of the bench said.

Foreign Minister AK Momen confirmed some cases of money laundering to Canada in a press briefing on Nov 18.

Most of the money launderers are government officials, followed by politicians and businessmen, he said. The minister, however, did not mention any name.

The media reported on Begum Para, a Bengali dominated neighbourhood in Toronto, Canada, where many Bangladeshis have bought houses with millions of dollars laundered from Bangladesh.

On Nov 22, the High Court asked for the details of money launderers and the actions taken against them.

It ordered the home secretary, the foreign secretary, Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, Anti-Corruption Commission and the National Board of Revenue chairman to report to the court by Dec 17.

The court has set the next hearing of the issue for Feb 28 following the hearing of the reports submitted by the authorities.