Cenbank chief welcomes UK decision to freeze assets of Salman family members, calls for continued int’l pressure to recover stolen funds
The UK's National Crime Agency yesterday froze almost £90 million of luxury London property belonging to Salman F Rahman's son and nephew
Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur today (24 May) expressed strong encouragement following the UK's decision to freeze assets reportedly bought with money stolen from Bangladesh, emphasising the importance of sustained political commitment and international cooperation in recovering stolen funds.
"As you know, during my London visit, I issued a statement highlighting our efforts along with those of the chief adviser. We are very encouraged by the asset seizure that took place in the UK yesterday," he said.
He made the remarks while talking to journalists after the inauguration ceremony of the "Credit Enhancement Scheme (CEC)" by the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) at the PKSF auditorium in Dhaka.
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The central bank chief was referring to the freezing of almost £90 million of luxury London property belonging to Salman F Rahman's son Ahmed Shayan Rahman and nephew Ahmed Shahryar Rahman by the UK's National Crime Agency -- news which British media broke yesterday (23 May).
"Recovering the money stolen from us is a political commitment. Every government should uphold this as a political commitment," he said.
He noted that the international community is also now under pressure to act, with major media outlets such as The Financial Times, The Times of London, and Al Jazeera, publishing extensive articles about Bangladesh's illicit money laundering cases. "More reports will follow."
Mansur highlighted the support from British MPs and the press alongside the NGOs as vital components creating pressure on the authorities concerned. This has resulted in proactive actions by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which he described as "very encouraging."
"But this needs to be accelerated further. Many more institutions and individuals have assets in the UK. If those can be identified and frozen, that would be very significant," he said.
On the timeline for asset recovery, the governor explained, "It's not about when the assets will come back; they will return after the legal process is complete. What's happening now is that measures are being taken so that these assets cannot be sold or transferred.
"We will initiate the legal process, and our lawyers will handle the next steps. If the assets are sold or moved before then, the legal process would be ineffective. Asset freezing is a critical step. This way, the assets are immobilised until a court decides if they belong to the individuals in question or Bangladesh."
Mansur further revealed that there are similar assets in multiple countries, and they are working on those now. "I visited Dubai last week and am planning trips to Singapore and London. We also plan to organise an international conference as part of our efforts.
"We must keep this issue alive in political circles. If we lose focus, these assets will be forgotten," he said.
The central bank government stressed the ethical obligation of the international community to ensure these stolen funds — which rightfully belong to the people and depositors of Bangladesh — are returned. "We hope they will demonstrate vigilance and commitment in this matter."
