Tk 6.35bn of ex-PM Hasina’s family in banks frozen

The BFIU freezes the money, the chief advisor's press secretary says

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, or BFIU, has frozen over Tk 6.35 billion from 124 bank accounts belonging to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members.

The Bangladesh Bank disclosed the information at a meeting on the prevention of money laundering chaired by interim government head Muhammad Yunus on Monday, Chief Advisor's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said.

At a press conference after the meeting, he says the interim administration has decided to enact a special law within the next week to return the "$234 billion" laundered during the previous government.

Highlighting information from the report prepared by a joint team of the BFIU, Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, the National Board of Revenue, or NBR, and police's Criminal Investigation Department, or CID, at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, he said in addition to freezing the money, the joint investigation team and BFIU seized 60 katha of RAJUK’s plots worth Tk 18 million, 10 decimal lands worth Tk 88.5 million and eight flats.

Besides, 11 bank accounts with a balance of Tk 51.5 million have been frozen.

The press secretary said Hasina and her family members have assets in the United States, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Cayman Islands.

"The existence of a Russian ‘slush fund’ in a Malaysian bank account has also been identified."

The ACC has so far initiated six fraud and forgery cases against Hasina’s family and probe reports of them have already been submitted.

The court also banned seven members of her family from travelling abroad.

Referring to the findings of the joint team, Shafiqul says the interim government has planned to settle at least 50 percent of the 11 important money laundering cases by 2025.

Among them, the case filed against Hasina and her family tops the priority list.

He added that the investigation against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his associates found assets in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Singapore. The BFIU has frozen 125 bank accounts belonging to him with Tk 150 million.

He said the NBR is investigating 11 cases against Saifuzzaman and his accomplices on charges of fraud, deception, and tax evasion.

The court has already attached four properties worth Tk 200 million and applications for attachment have been made for two more flats and 31,594.39 decimal of land.

In addition, Tk 52.7 million in his 39 bank accounts and Tk 1.02 billion in shares have been frozen.

The joint investigation team's report also highlighted the arrangement of three mutual legal assistance requests, or MLARs, for attaching assets in the UAE, the US and the UK.

The press secretary said the BFIU and the joint investigation team had submitted reports of 10 cases in 11 priority cases.

One of the four cases against the former prime minister is currently under investigation.

Data from domestic and foreign bank accounts have been gathered and 84 accused have been banned from travelling abroad.

The joint investigation team has found information about investments and assets worth Tk 18.17 billion in foreign countries.

The total balance of frozen bank accounts is Tk 8.72 billion and Tk 6.14 billion has been held from 1,374 bank accounts. Besides, shares worth Tk 19.68 billion and Tk 15.50 billion at 188 BO accounts have been seized.