Dhaka: The finance minister, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, on Tuesday told the Jatiya Sangsad that 10 Interpol red notices have been issued against individuals involved in money laundering cases, although he did not disclose the names of the individuals or organisations concerned.
Responding to a question from Dhaka-5 lawmaker Mohammad Kamal Hossain in the JS, the minister said the government has also initiated legal and institutional reforms aimed at preventing illicit financial outflows in the future, including the establishment of a beneficial ownership register to identify the true owners of companies.
He said a 12-member inter-agency task force, led by the Bangladesh Bank governor, has been formed to recover money illegally transferred abroad. The task force has identified 11 priority money laundering cases and constituted 11 joint investigation teams to probe them.
The cases include those involving former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, S Alam Group, Beximco Group, Sikder Group, Nassa Group, Orion Group, Bashundhara Group, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family, Nabil Group, HBM Iqbal, and Summit Group.
Based on findings from these investigations, the anti-corruption commission has filed 142 cases in special courts so far. Of these, charges have been framed in 17 cases, while six cases have been disposed of with verdicts, Khosru said.
The minister noted that a stolen assets recovery division has been established under the Bangladesh financial intelligence unit to strengthen efforts to recover assets laundered abroad.
He added that the government is taking practical steps to strengthen governance in the financial sector and curb money laundering. Legal frameworks, including the Money Laundering Prevention Act, will be updated in line with international standards, alongside institutional reforms to enhance coordination among agencies and establish a more effective anti-money laundering system.
