Dhaka, July 12 – BNP on Wednesday slammed Finance Minister AMA Muhith for his comment about the media report on stashing of huge money by Bangladeshis in Swiss banks, saying he is trying to protect the ‘ruling party men’ who siphoned off money.“The Finance Minister had first said there was no siphoning off money, expect transaction with Swiss banks. Later, he said a small amount of money was laundered. Such contradictory statements are Awami League leaders’ old technique to hide the truth,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, he also said everybody knows it very well that different financial institutions, including public banks, have got depleted due to widespread plundering. “We would like to say the day is not far away when they (AL men) will have to be accountable to people for their corruption and plundering.”
Different media reported that the Swiss National Bank has recently launched a series of annual reports titled ‘Banks in Switzerland-2016’ revealing deposits by Bangladeshis in Switzerland’s different banks rose further.
As per the report, Swiss banks owed a total of Tk 55.60 billion to Bangladesh (Bangladeshi banks, clients and others), while Bangladesh owed a total of Tk 18.23 billion to Swiss banks in 2016.
Giving a statement under the rule-300 of the rules of procedure, Muhith on Tuesday told Parliament, “I won’t say no money is sent out of the country. But the amount as reported by the media can be considered exaggerated in reality.”
He also said the trade transaction through banking channel between Bangladesh and Switzerland has seen a substantial rise. “So, actually it’s not capital flight at all.”
Rizvi alleged that Muhith was forced to give such a statement in Parliament as many influential ruling party leaders have involvement in siphoning off money. “He (Muhith) has been made a scapegoat once again.”
He said people at home and abroad know that Bangladesh economy is in a bad shape, no matter how many big-size budgets the Finance Minister is placing. “So, there’s no point of trying to hush up a thing when it is already known to many.”
The BNP leader strongly condemned and protested the attack on cultural activists in Narayanganj following their protest programme against the power plant at Rampal near the Sundarbans on Tuesday.
Unidentified assailants swooped on cultural activists after the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port staged a demonstration at Toki Moncho of Chashara Shaheed Minar registering their protest against the coal-fired power plant, leaving four people injured.
Rizvi said the government is attacking the protesters as it has become desperate to set up the power plant to create a further scope for ruling party men to in indulge widespread corruption and looting. – UNB
