Dhaka: Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Ahsan H Mansur today announced that the government will ensure the safety of depositors’ money by taking over banks before merging weaker banks into stronger ones. “Depositors have no reason to worry as they will be part of a strong bank,” Mansur assured while speaking at a press conference held at the BB headquarters in the city.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the central bank organized the press conference to release the annual report of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU). During his speech, Governor Mansur stated that the central bank will raise funds for the bank resolution fund prior to proceeding with the mergers. He emphasized that the central bank will not hinder any business entities by freezing bank accounts.
Addressing the issue of money laundering during the previous Awami League government, Mansur revealed that $18 to 20 billion were laundered, and it could take three to five years to recover this money. He acknowledged that Bangladesh lacks experience in retrieving laundered funds but mentioned that an inter-ministerial initiative is underway. The government plans to amend necessary rules and regulations, and the power of the task force assigned to this issue will be enhanced.
Governor Mansur clarified that no business accounts have been seized so far, and no obstacles are being created for conducting business. He noted that only personal accounts have been seized to date.