The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) claims to have information indicating leaders of both the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP have been involved in money laundering.
Chairman Md Badiuzzaman said he was unbiased and treated all political parties equally.
“We (the ACC) have information that people associated with Awami League, BNP, other parties, and even those outside their fold have laundered money abroad,” he said at a workshop held by the ACC at the Hotel Ruposhi Bangla in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, too, said many Bangladeshi politicians had laundered money in places like Malaysia, Singapore and London.
He, however, claimed he did not have any information on laundering involving any Awami League leader.
Alam also refused to reveal the identities of the politicians in keeping with a UN convention.
The ACC disclosure came amid a blame game by the Awami League and the BNP over money laundering.
Alam said Bangladesh had received the second tranche of money siphoned off by BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s younger son Arafat Rahman Coco to Singapore.
He handed over a token cheque of $ 956,387.4 to the ACC chief. The token cheque belonged to a foreign bank and was issued against the ACC’s Stolen Asset Recovery account.
“We received the money two days ago,” he said.
Coco, convicted in a money laundering case, has been living abroad for the last five years. He was sentenced in absentia. The BNP maintains case was ‘politically motivated’.
The Attorney General said Bangladesh had singed the UN’s anti-corruption convention.
“We sought information under the Convention and learnt that Siemens had bribed Coco.
“He opened a bank account in Singapore by submitting his passport and set up two companies there,” Alam said.
“A case was filed with a Bangladeshi court based on that information. We requested Singapore to return the money after the court verdict.
“We, finally, got back the money after our application was granted [by Singapore authorities],” the Attorney General said.
Source: Bd news24
