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The chargesheet in the country’s biggest financial heist names 64 suspects, including Bangladeshi and foreign individuals and institutions.
Among the list are 10 Bangladeshis, including the then central bank governor Atiur Rahman, bdnews24.com reports.
Individuals and institutions from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, India and North Korea are also on the suspect list.
The investigating officer of the case, CID’s Additional Special Superintendent of Police of Financial Crime Al Mamun, said: “Our investigation is complete, we have no more work left on that front. We hope to be able to file a chargesheet in court soon.”
He also said a draft charge sheet has already been prepared purely based on the evidence and has been sent to the Attorney General’s Office for legal advice.
On February 5, 2016, an estimated $101 million was stolen from the Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States through 35 fake SWIFT payment instructions. Of that amount, an estimated $81 million is believed to have been sent to the Philippines.
At that time, those concerned believed that the money was laundered with the help of a criminal ring inside the country.
Later, on March 15 of that year, Zubair bin Huda, then joint director of the Accounts and Budgeting Department of Bangladesh Bank, filed a case Dhaka’s Motijheel Police Station.
However, no one was directly accused in the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The CID has been investigating the case since the beginning, but the submission of the report in the case was postponed for the 95th time on May 18.
On that day, the court fixed July 2 for the submission of the report.
After the 2024 July Uprising, the Anti-Corruption Commission wrote to the CID in January, 2025, asking it to transfer the investigation of the case.
The home ministry, however, did not agree to hand over the investigation, and in the end, the CID will file the chargesheet in this historic case.
The CID says after a prolonged investigation, forensic reports, reports from the Philippines’ MLAR and FBI, recommendations from Japan and India, records of money returns from Sri Lanka, SWIFT information, investigation documents and statements taken under Section 161 have been considered in preparing the charge sheet.
The 10,000-page case docket and draft charge sheet have presented a wealth of evidence against the perpetrators.
A CID official said that after preparing the draft chargesheet, it was sent to the Attorney General’s Office for legal advice in March.
It will be submitted to the court as soon as it is approved and returned. Further steps will be taken if any legal advice is received.
Source: https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/primary-education-offices-asked-to-pay-land-development-tax
