Emails from 'fake journo': British MPs suspect smear campaign against BB governor

British MPs suspect they may have been targeted by a "disinformation" campaign against Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur as they received emails from a "fake journalist" regarding his daughter's wealth, reports The Guardian.

MPs in the 47-member all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on responsible tax and corruption received emails ahead of a session on Monday with Mansur. 

The sender, who claimed to be a journalist, included links to a website called International Policy Digest, featuring articles about alleged displays of wealth by Mansur's daughter and questioning why she was not under investigation.

However, neither of the supposed authors of these articles appears to have any other presence as journalists. The Guardian discovered that their profile pictures were actually stock images.

Mansur, currently in the UK seeking assistance to trace billions of dollars allegedly stolen by allies of the Hasina regime, expressed concern that the emails were part of a deliberate smear campaign. 

A former IMF official who previously lived and worked in Washington, Mansur said he believed individuals under investigation for money laundering were attempting to "tarnish my reputation and target me in various ways." He also emphasised that his daughter, a US citizen, had little connection to Bangladesh.

APPG member Rupa Huq received a separate email from a UK public relations firm, Palatine Communications, which also linked to International Policy Digest. The email suggested that if Mansur was willing to "impugn the integrity of Tulip Siddiq," then he and his family should also be subject to scrutiny.

Huq described receiving such an email as "highly unusual" and compared it to protests that have taken place when she has spoken about Bangladesh in parliament. She said both incidents appeared to be efforts to "intimidate and interfere with parliament and MPs' normal work."

Members of the APPG have reported the emails to parliamentary cybersecurity advisers and the foreign affairs committee, which is investigating disinformation. 

A spokesperson for Palatine Communications said, "Our client instructions are confidential. We sent the email in question on our own initiative.

"We have no connection to, and no knowledge of, the authorship of this article, nor did we ever claim it was absolute truth. Like many articles from various media sources, it raises valid concerns about the current situation in Bangladesh, which we believe MPs should consider."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for International Policy Digest said the actual author of the articles "wished to remain anonymous" but insisted they were confident the content was "fairly accurate."