Bangladesh has got the membership of prestigious Egmont Group, formed with financial intelligence units of various countries which will help get global support in fighting against money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crimes, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman said on Thursday.“It’ll help stop money-laundering and terrorist financing. It won’t be easy now to launder money abroad through corruption,” he told a press conference at the central bank’s conference room.
Bangladesh Bank’s Senior Adviser Allah Malik Kazmi, BB Deputy Governors M Abul Quasem and Nazneen Sultana and Executive Director M Mahfuzur Rahman were, among others, present.
The central bank governor, however, kept mum when a number of reporters asked about the steps regarding banking sectors massive irregularities with the recent reported Tk 4,500 crore BASIC Bank forgery.
At one stage, Atiur along with the BB top officials left the conference room in a good mood concluding the press conference keeping the focus only on the good news.
Mahfuzur Rahman, also Deputy Director of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), said the number of members of Egmont Group now stands at 132 with Bangladesh. “And Bangladesh now will get information related to money laundering, terrorism financing and money that have been siphoned off aboard.”
He further said, “The scope of exchange of information through secure web will play a significant role in preventing money laundering, terrorism financing and bringing back the siphoned off money,” he said.
Responding to a question, Rahman said the BFIU is working independently, no matter which government is in power, and they analyse each case and if necessary send those to the Anti Corruption Commission and law enforcement agencies.
The BB official said Bangladesh had applied for the Egmont Group membership in 2008 and Malaysia and Thailand worked as sponsor countries for getting the membership.
Allah Malik Kazmi said, “It’s like an elite club. Now the member countries will exchange information with our own set up confidence. It has brought a scope to bring information.”
Corruption is a global plague that seriously undermines development, diverting resources that could be harnessed to finance development, damaging the quality of governance institutions, and threatening human security, according to Egmont Group.
Corruption related crimes increasingly appear in the statistics of FIUs (Financial Intelligence Units) and law enforcement agencies, as a major category of predicate offences.
– UNB
