Dhaka: Fact-checking body BanglaFact and the media research team of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) have dismissed claims circulating on social media about $20 billion being laundered in the last 10 months. They identified these claims as misleading and false, suggesting that such misinformation was spread to obscure longstanding money laundering issues during the Awami League regime.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, BanglaFact's investigation revealed that the social media posts alleging nearly $20 billion was siphoned off from the country in the last 10 months were misleading. The fact-check body found that these claims were based on two confusing news headlines from mainstream news outlets Kaler Kantho and Bangladesh Pratidin.
BanglaFact referred to reports from mainstream media, which highlighted an event on May 27 where Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur presented the annual report of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit. During this presentation, he stated that approximately $18-20 billion had been laundered during the Awami League's tenure. He also mentioned that more than 27,000 dubious transactions were uncovered in the last ten months.
Kaler Kantho and Bangladesh Pratidin had reported this information with headlines such as '27 thousand dubious transactions took place in 10 months, $20 billion laundered,' accompanied by photo cards with similar headlines. BanglaFact pointed out that these headlines could lead to the erroneous conclusion that $20 billion had been laundered in the last ten months.
The two newspapers subsequently altered their headlines, as noted by BanglaFact. The fact-checking team asserted that while the newspapers provided accurate information within the body of their reports, their initial headlines contributed to the viral spread of the incorrect claim.