Home
+
Published : 16 Mar 2016, 07:15 PM
He stepped down on Tuesday, under pressure to resign over last month’s $81 million cyber theft of Bangladesh Bank reserves kept at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
He formally joined the Department of Development Studies on Wednesday, the chairman of the department Dr Abu Yusuf told bdnews24.com.
Atiur had taught there for three years since 2006 before he went on deputation to join as governor of the central bank.
On Tuesday, he submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the face of intense criticism over the heist and his alleged attempt to cover it up.
The public administration ministry on Wednesday night said Atiur’s resignation letter has been accepted and his contract with the government stands terminated.
After stepping down from the coveted post a few months before the end of his tenure, Atiur Rahman had told journalists about his decision to return to teaching.
Before his earlier stint as a professor at the Department of Development Studies at DU, he had worked for ‘Shamunnay’, a non-profit organisation he established.
Earlier, he had worked as a research fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
Prior to joining BIDS in 1993, he was a planning officer in the Bangladesh Tourism Corporation in 1975.
Atiur Rahman was born in Jamalpur in 1951.
After passing his higher secondary exams from Mirzapur Cadet College, he went to Dhaka University, where he obtained his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in economics. He did his PhD in 1993.
Atiur Rahman at Tuesday's media call after resigning
After the Awami League-led government came to power, he was made the governor of the Bangladesh Bank for a four-year term in 2009.
His tenure was later extended until August 2, 2016.
He has been the only central bank governor so far, who had to exit unceremoniously.
Atiur Rahman defended himself against accusations that he had embarked on a cover-up of the robbery, arguing that, in the interest of the country, he had taken time in attempts to recover the stolen money and secure the system to prevent future cyber attacks.
For his contribution to increasing Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves and taking banking facilities to people at the remotest corners, he earned the sobriquet of “poor man’s economist”.
