A special law aimed at accelerating the recovery of laundered funds will be enacted shortly, said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.
Speaking at a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy auditorium on Monday (10 March), he emphasised that retrieving illicitly transferred funds has been a priority for the interim government since its inception.
Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus has consistently maintained that these funds belong to the people of Bangladesh, and the government remains committed to ensuring their return.
To this end, a dedicated 11-member taskforce was established in September, led by the central bank governor.
Shafiqul Alam disclosed that a high-level meeting, chaired by the chief adviser, was held to assess the progress of repatriation efforts, during which several key decisions were taken.
The government and the taskforce are currently in discussions with numerous international law firms to facilitate legal proceedings.
Agreements with around 30 firms are under consideration, with initial talks already held with approximately 200 firms.
The selection process is ongoing and will be conducted through a structured legal framework.
The chief adviser reiterated the urgency of retrieving these funds, instructing that high-level meetings be held every month to monitor developments.
Another meeting has already been scheduled after Eid to assess further progress.
Authorities are also investigating the scale of illicit outflows.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman cited a case where Tk400-500 crore was transferred abroad under the guise of tuition fees for a single student.
The government is now scrutinising such transactions to understand the extent of money laundering.
The briefing was attended by Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Mazumdar, Apurba Jahangir, and Assistant Press Secretary Suchismita Tithi.
