Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said that an amount of $15 billion was siphoned off from Bangladesh every year on average during the 15-year rule of the Awami League government.

He said: “However, there is no real account of how much money was smuggled [out the country] then.” 

While addressing a seminar in Dhaka on Saturday, Iftekharuzzaman said bringing back the laundered money is possible, but it is time-consuming, he added.

The Economic Reporters’ Forum and Sombhabonar Bangladesh organised the event titled “Odious Debt & Recovery of Bangladesh’s Laundered Wealth.”

Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina stepped down and left the country on August 5 following a violent crackdown that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The unrest initially began as protests against job quotas but escalated into a larger movement calling for her resignation. 

BDST: 1821 HRS, NOV 02, 2024
MN/SMS