The interim government has so far attached Tk 1,75,625 crore worth of foreign and domestic assets linked to 10 influential business groups and the family of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina on allegations of financial crimes, including large-scale lootings.
The asset recovery operation, led by the Bangladesh Bank and other government agencies, targets illicit wealth accumulated through embezzlement, money laundering, and abusing political influence.
The status of the recovery efforts was reviewed at a high-level meeting at the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office on Monday, where Bangladesh Bank governor Ahsan H Mansur briefed chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The information was later shared with journalists at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on the day.
Governor Mansur, chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam, and Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit chief AFM Shahinul Islam were present at the press briefing.
According to the press secretary, the value of the attached immovable domestic assets stood at Tk 1,30,758 crore, while the foreign attachments totalled $164 million.
In addition, the frozen domestic movable assets amounted to Tk 42,614.27 crore while the foreign movable assets to $20.78 million.
One joint investigation team has been assigned to each group and the Hasina family, which identified the assets and secured court orders for attachment.
The 10 business groups under investigation are S Alam Group, Beximco Group, Nabil Group, Summit Group, Orion Group, Gemcon Group, Nassa Group, Bashundhara Group, Sikder Group, and Aramit Group.
Besides investigating these corporations, the financial transactions of the key individuals behind them are also being scrutinised. Many of these individuals have reportedly renounced their Bangladeshi citizenship, BB officials said.
In January 2025, joint investigation teams, formed with each team comprising investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department, the National Board of Revenue, and the Anti-Corruption Commission, have launched extensive probes. The coordination of the investigations is being led by the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit.
The central bank governor said that the attached assets included shares in banks and listed companies, luxury properties, and large bank deposits held by individuals either facing prosecution or living abroad after having fled the country.
Mansur said that the government had decided to create a dedicated special fund with the recovered money to compensate depositors and assist low-income communities affected by systemic banking failures.
Initiated under a directive from the chief adviser, the fund will be used to stabilise distressed banks and finance social welfare programmes, he said.
He confirmed that substantial sums were already under governemnt control, including bank deposits and equity shares seized from absconders.
The central bank is working with international partners through mutual legal assistance treaties to recover assets laundered abroad.
Mansur noted that while the legal process typically spans four to five years, several foreign governments have expressed willingness to cooperate.
He added that the chief adviser鈥檚 upcoming visit to London may involve steps to advance overseas asset recovery.
Mansur said that funds recovered from embezzled bank loans will be returned directly to the affected banks to address capital and provisioning shortfalls.
Assets recovered from other forms of corruption will be used for poverty alleviation.
He emphasised that all measures will follow legal and regulatory frameworks.
Since the control over the attached assets has already been secured, the process of operationalising the funds is expected to move quickly, Mansur said.
The central bank is also finalising preparations to implement the Bank Resolution Ordinance 2025, which authorises the Bangladesh Bank to enforce compulsory mergers, liquidations, and the creation of bridge banks to restore stability in failing financial institutions.
During the briefing, Mansur also accused the mobile financial service provider Nagad of illegally creating Tk 650 crore in unbacked e-money, calling the action financial fraud.
He stated that under the existing monetary law, all e-money must be fully backed by deposits. Nagad鈥檚 over-issuance has violated this rule and, according to him, warrants legal punishment.
