The BNP has demanded a judicial inquiry into last month’s cyber heist involving the Bangladesh Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The party’s Standing Committee Member ASM Hannan Shah raised the demand before reporters in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman earlier resigned over the heist in which the central bank lost $81 million in what is being seen as the biggest cyber theft in global banking history.
Hannan Shah said, “Why would the governor be solely held responsible for this incident? The minister and the government are there above him (in the hierarchy).”
“We could have accused him had this been a stray incident. But we have seen Tk 40 billion getting ravaged in Basic Bank,” he added.
Stressing that the government could not shirk responsibility, Shah said, “The government should resign as the country’s wealth is being ravaged under its patronage.”
He said a judicial inquiry should be instituted into the incident to catch the culprits. “There is no use removing the governor.”
Last month’s heist created a ripple in banking circles around the world, though the incident came to light in Bangladesh only a few days ago.
Filipino newspaper the Philippine Daily Inquirer had reported on Feb 29 that Bangladesh Bank funds were transferred from its account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York into bank accounts in the Philippines and Sri Lanka by using the Bangladesh Bank’s SWIFT code.
The Bangladesh Bank admitted that $81 million from the Bangladesh account in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York had been shifted to the Philippines and another $20 million to Sri Lanka.
The central bank kept the government and its board of directors in the dark about the heist for about a month. Finance minister AMA Muhith first learnt of it from media reports.
On Sunday, he lashed out at the Bangladesh Bank vowing action for having ‘the audacity not to inform him about issue’.
Hannan Shah said, “Many people from the central bank are involved in the heist. I have seen a list of Bangladesh Bank officials. I would like to ask you (journalists) also to check the list.”
Claiming that such theft was not possible without insider involvement, Shah urged journalists to check that list.
Source: Bd news24
Things are turning really ugly now. There is no room for Atiur to be proud after the scam which he had been trying to hide. The entire government machinery is trying to divert the truth by creating irrelevant stories and issues. This YouTube report claims that Sk Hasina and her son may be involved. Therefore, the investigation cannot be credible with keeping Sk Hasina in the seat of the PM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN4y-Opj0Wg
I agree with Mortuza Huq that no investigation is likely to be “credible with Hasina in the seat of the PM” and this is because the way the PM remained silent even after the Governor informed her of the heist almost a month ago (this is according to Governor’s own statement) and also the way the she has praised the resigning BB governor and even wept while accepting his resignation indicate that there is too much of personal emotions and convergence of interest at stake and thus expecting fair and transparent investigation of the theft with her at the highest seat of power who basically has the final say in everything is hardly a cause for comfort.