Bangladesh negotiating with 10 nations to reclaim $234b laundered in AL era: PM

The government has initiated steps to sign bilateral agreements with 10 countries to bring back a significant amount of money that was laundered from Bangladesh over the past 15 years, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said yesterday.

Three countries have already agreed in principle to sign the agreements, while the process of inking the deals with the remaining seven is underway, he told the parliament during a question-and-answer session.

The countries and regions initially identified as destinations where the money has been laundered include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, said the prime minister.

He shared the information in response to a question from Cumilla-9 lawmaker Mohammad Abul Kalam during the sixth sitting of the first session of the 13th parliament.

"During the previous fascist government's tenure, approximately $234bn was laundered out of the country between 2009 and 2023, which is an average of Tk1.8 lakh crore annually. Bringing back this huge amount of money is one of the main goals of the current government," he said, citing data from a white paper prepared during the interim administration.

Infographic: TBS

The prime minister said Bangladesh had already received positive responses from Malaysia, Hong Kong and the UAE regarding the proposed agreements.

He said efforts were under way to strengthen information exchange, asset identification and mutual legal assistance with the countries concerned.

The government is pursuing the signing of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) and exchanging Mutual Legal Assistance Requests (MLARs) to facilitate the recovery of illicitly transferred funds. The initiative is being led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with other relevant agencies.

On enforcement measures, the prime minister said a taskforce led by the governor of Bangladesh Bank had identified 11 major cases for priority investigation.

To speed up the process, 11 joint investigation teams have been formed, comprising officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission, Criminal Investigation Department, National Board of Revenue and Customs Intelligence.

The prime minister said courts had so far ordered the attachment and freezing of movable and immovable assets worth Tk57,168.09 crore within Bangladesh as of 25 March 2026.

He added that assets worth Tk13,278.13 crore traced abroad had also been attached and frozen following court directives.

"Altogether, movable and immovable assets worth approximately Tk70,446.22 crore at home and abroad have been attached and frozen by the courts," the prime minister said.

According to information presented in parliament, a total of 141 cases have been filed so far over money laundering, with verdicts delivered in six cases and charge sheets submitted in 25.

"We believe in the rule of law. Unlike in the past, we will not misuse power; rather, every penny of laundered public money will be recovered through due legal process and international cooperation," he said.

'Family Card' will not cause inflation

Responding to a supplementary question from Akhter Hossen, a lawmaker from Rangpur-4 representing the National Citizen Party, the prime minister said the government's "Family Card" programme would not contribute to inflation.

"We are not printing money to give to cardholders. So, there is no question of inflation. The funds distributed through these cards will circulate within the local economy, as marginal farmers and women will spend the money domestically rather than transferring it abroad," he said.

Tarique said the programme could help improve living standards and stimulate economic activity.

"A woman may spend this money on her children's education, family food needs or start a small business. As a result, the funds provided by the government will strengthen the local economy, increase the flow of money and help create new employment," he added.

He said the programme was launched on 10 March 2026, initially covering 37,814 female-headed households in 15 wards across 13 districts. A further 30,000 families will be brought under the programme in the remaining months of the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Digital push in technical education

The prime minister also announced that 9,000 technical education teachers across the country would receive tablet devices within the next 180 days.

"As part of implementing the election manifesto, steps have been taken to modernise technical education and strengthen digital competency," Tarique said.

Under the initiative, 3,832 multimedia classrooms will also be established to improve digital infrastructure in the education sector.

In addition, 172 students will receive Japanese and Italian language training aimed at improving technical and vocational skills.

The government also plans to provide free Wi-Fi connectivity to 418 technical and madrasa institutions nationwide, he said.

Govt working to implement manifesto pledges

The prime minister told parliament that all ministries and divisions had begun preparing action plans for the next 180 days, the upcoming fiscal year and the next five years to implement commitments made in the government's election manifesto.

He said the government had launched a pilot programme to provide comprehensive protection for farmers in 11 blocks across 11 upazilas in 10 districts. Agricultural loans of up to Tk10,000 in the crop, livestock and fisheries sectors have already been waived, he added.

The prime minister also said that honorariums had been sent to the bank accounts of 9,102 beneficiaries ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, including imams, muezzins, khadems, Hindu temple priests and officials of Buddhist monasteries.

He added that a pilot project to issue 2.5 million e-health cards in Khulna district was under way.

Tarique also said the government had begun implementing a plan to excavate and re-excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals over the next five years.

Regarding programmes for children, he added that more than 200,000 students at the upazila level have already received free school uniforms and shoes, and the initiative will soon be expanded to cover all primary-level students nationwide.

PM to launch 'Notun Kuri Sports' initiative

Meanwhile, State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque yesterday said the prime minister would visit Sylhet on 30 April to inaugurate the "Notun Kuri Sports" initiative.

The programme will be launched simultaneously across all districts, with the central event scheduled at Sylhet District Stadium.

According to the state minister, the initiative will feature seven sports, including football and cricket. He also said that from the next academic year, sports would become compulsory from Class 4, alongside the introduction of sports scholarships.