During the past 15 years of the Awami League government (2009‑2023), approximately $234 billion was illicitly transferred out of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman informed the National Parliament. The government has taken strict measures to recover this massive sum, and so far, assets worth about Tk 70,446 (7.04 billion) crore have been seized and frozen both domestically and abroad, he stated.
Replying on Wednesday (1 April) to a written question from Cumilla‑9 MP Md. Abul Kalam in the 13th Parliament session presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Mr. Rahman presented figures from the white paper drafting committee reporting illicit financial outflows of that magnitude during the period in question.
He said the government has already taken strict actions to recover assets linked to these outflows, freezing and attaching domestic and overseas assets worth about Tk 70,446.22 crore (approximately $7.04 billion). Of this, assets attached domestically total Tk 57,168.09 crore and assets abroad Tk 13,278.13 crore under court orders.
According to the prime minister, the white paper committee estimate shows an average illicit outflow of about $16 billion per year over the 15‑year span. He identified the top ten destination countries for these flows as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Mr. Rahman said the government has secured mutual legal assistance agreements with Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates to aid in asset recovery, while negotiations continue with the remaining countries on similar accords.
He noted that an inter‑agency task force led by the Governor of Bangladesh Bank has been established to prevent future illicit outflows and recover assets, and 141 cases have been filed to date, with charge sheets submitted in 15 cases and verdicts delivered in 6.
The prime minister highlighted 11 priority cases involving prominent individuals and major business groups, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, and conglomerates such as S. Alam Group, Beximco Group, Sikder Group, Bashundhara Group, Nasa Group, Orion Group, Nabil Group, HBM Iqbal, and Summit Group.
He emphasized that exposing illicit financial flows and bringing perpetrators to justice were key commitments in the government’s election manifesto and reiterated that combating corruption and money laundering is being treated as a top priority.