The family members of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have been included in the list for investigation along with 10 major business groups by a government task force.
Earlier on January 6, the financial institution division of the finance ministry asked the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) to form teams comprising members of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the Criminal Investigation Department of Police (CID) to investigate the country’s 10 major business groups’ alleged money laundering and other misdeeds.
The move comes as the interim government has intensified its efforts to recover money allegedly laundered by the corporate giants that thrived under the Awami League rule.
The ten business groups are: S Alam Group, Beximco Group, Summit Group, Bashundhara Group, Gemcon Group, Orion Group, Nabil Group, Nassa Group, Sikder Group and Aramit Group.
The investigation will be led by the ACC, while the BFIU will provide secretariat service to the task force.
The BFIU last week restructured its teams and has asked the ACC, the NBR and the CID to form separate teams to probe the 10 groups and Hasina’s family members.
The business groups and the Sheikh clan have allegedly laundered money, dodged taxes and invested money abroad without approval, according to BFIU officials.
The other businesses involved in such crimes will also be investigated in phases, they said.
A government-commissioned white paper committee on the economy estimated that $234 billion was siphoned off from Bangladesh between 2009 and 2023.
daily star
