The Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh is set to initiate an inquiry into allegations of corruption linked to the 2016 cyber heist that stole $101 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account.
The investigation will also target key individuals within the bank’s leadership, including then governor Dr Atiur Rahman.
Several senior ACC officials confirmed this development to The Daily Star, saying that the inquiry will begin in the coming days, following the preparation of an investigative file by the ACC’s scrutiny cell.
A director-general of the ACC told The Daily Star, “We have gathered specific information on corruption through media reports and the ACC’s intelligence unit regarding the incident.”
Apart from Dr Rahman, the ACC will also seek to investigate at least 10-12 former and current senior officials of Bangladesh Bank, including an executive director, a general manager, four joint directors, three deputy general managers, and two deputy directors.
In February 2016, international hackers orchestrated the heist, stealing $101 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank using fraudulent instructions. Their intended target was $1 billion.
Of the $81 million transferred to the Philippines, approximately $18 million has been recovered so far. Investigations later suggested that Dridex malware may have facilitated the attack.
On March 15 in 2016, 39 days after the incident, Bangladesh Bank Deputy Director Zubair Bin Huda filed a case with the Motijheel Police Station against unknown individuals under the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was tasked with the investigation but has yet to complete it or submit a report to the court.
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) server for Bangladesh Bank’s foreign exchange reserves is a highly sensitive system. Despite this, then-Governor Atiur Rahman authorised the connection of the Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system through SWIFT, facilitating its implementation.
Investigators later flagged this decision as criminal. RTGS is a specialised system enabling instant fund transfers between banks.
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