Tuesday, 26 August, 2025
The Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has unearthed assets worth an estimated Tk 40,000 crore siphoned out of Bangladesh and stashed in various countries, officials disclosed on Sunday.
CIC Director General Ahsan Habib briefed Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna in the presence of NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan.
Investigators revealed that during Sheikh Hasina’s rule, money launderers strategically infiltrated the Central Bank’s Core Banking System to erase vital records, paving the way for the massive outflow.
Chief Adviser Yunus branded the plunder of national wealth an act of “grave treason” and vowed uncompromising action. “The looters must be brought under the law to build a better country for future generations,” he declared after receiving the report.
The CIC findings stem from extensive operations across seven cities in five countries since January. So far, officials have identified 346 properties abroad bought with laundered money, registered under individuals and organisations. “This is only a partial picture of the full scale of the crime,” DG Habib said.
The probe also uncovered 352 foreign passports illegally acquired by Bangladeshis in exchange for money in nine countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, North Macedonia, Malta, Saint Lucia, and Turkey.
“What we have found so far is just the tip of the iceberg,” Habib warned, adding that international agencies are now cooperating with Bangladesh in recovery efforts.
The CIC has begun legal proceedings to seize these assets and repatriate them. Habib confirmed that investigators have developed the technology to restore deleted data, enabling them to trace hidden money trails with greater precision.
The probe also uncovered 352 foreign passports illegally acquired by Bangladeshis in exchange for money in nine countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, North Macedonia, Malta, Saint Lucia, and Turkey. “What we have found so far is just the tip of the iceberg,” Habib warned, adding that international agencies are now cooperating with Bangladesh in recovery efforts.
Professor Yunus directed the CIC to intensify its crackdown, expand the probe to other destinations, and work in full coordination with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and other agencies. “The nation must be shown how its wealth was looted. All institutions must act in unity,” he said.
He stressed that the government will set a precedent so that no one dares to plunder the nation’s resources again. “If we want to build a beautiful country for future generations, these looters must be brought to justice,” the Chief Adviser declared.
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The Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has unearthed assets worth an estimated Tk 40,000 crore siphoned out of Bangladesh and stashed in various countries, officials disclosed on Sunday.
CIC Director General Ahsan Habib briefed Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna in the presence of NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan.
Investigators revealed that during Sheikh Hasina’s rule, money launderers strategically infiltrated the Central Bank’s Core Banking System to erase vital records, paving the way for the massive outflow.
Chief Adviser Yunus branded the plunder of national wealth an act of “grave treason” and vowed uncompromising action. “The looters must be brought under the law to build a better country for future generations,” he declared after receiving the report.
The CIC findings stem from extensive operations across seven cities in five countries since January. So far, officials have identified 346 properties abroad bought with laundered money, registered under individuals and organisations. “This is only a partial picture of the full scale of the crime,” DG Habib said.
The probe also uncovered 352 foreign passports illegally acquired by Bangladeshis in exchange for money in nine countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, North Macedonia, Malta, Saint Lucia, and Turkey.
“What we have found so far is just the tip of the iceberg,” Habib warned, adding that international agencies are now cooperating with Bangladesh in recovery efforts.
The CIC has begun legal proceedings to seize these assets and repatriate them. Habib confirmed that investigators have developed the technology to restore deleted data, enabling them to trace hidden money trails with greater precision.
The probe also uncovered 352 foreign passports illegally acquired by Bangladeshis in exchange for money in nine countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, North Macedonia, Malta, Saint Lucia, and Turkey. “What we have found so far is just the tip of the iceberg,” Habib warned, adding that international agencies are now cooperating with Bangladesh in recovery efforts.
Professor Yunus directed the CIC to intensify its crackdown, expand the probe to other destinations, and work in full coordination with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and other agencies. “The nation must be shown how its wealth was looted. All institutions must act in unity,” he said.
He stressed that the government will set a precedent so that no one dares to plunder the nation’s resources again. “If we want to build a beautiful country for future generations, these looters must be brought to justice,” the Chief Adviser declared.
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