Steps to bring back siphoned off money in months

The government is planning for reaching an understanding with the countries concerned to bring back siphoned off money within three to four months, according to highly placed sources.
“The money siphoned off particularly by political leaders, businessmen and individuals will be brought back as soon as the government reaches understanding with countries concerned,” hinted a senior official in the Ministry of Law.
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Barrister Shafique Ahmed yesterday told The New Nation that the Attorney General’s Office and the Bangladesh Bank have been entrusted to deal with the matter.
Asked about the amount of siphoned off money and number of the countries where the money was transferred, the Minister avoided the answer.
However, according to a source in the Ministry of Law, the office of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) has sent a statement to the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs describing in detail about the siphoned off money and the countries concerned. A copy of the UNCAC statement is learnt to have been handed over to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier on May 7, the Law Minister told journalists that three officials of the intelligence agency FBI and the Justice Department of the US were giving technical support including training to our lawyers to help bring back the money siphoned off by seven VIPs.
The VIPs include Ali Asgar Loby, a former lawmaker, former ministers-Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Barrister Nazmul Huda and Morshed Khan, his son Foysal Morshed, and businessman Giasuddin Al-Mamun.
The Law Minister informed that the process of bringing back the money is at the final stage.
The same procedure will be followed in bringing back the money of the VIPs as was done in the case of Arafat Rahman Koko, younger son of the ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, he said.
It is known from the notes forwarded to UNCAC that huge deposits have been detected in the bank accounts of a son and a daughter of Barrister Moudud, who are now citizens of Britain and United States respectively.
According to an investigation report of RAB, Moudud Ahmed took from a businessman Tk 15 crore in exchange of giving a tender order. He also allegedly amassed money when he was the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
The report against Nazmul Huda mentioned that Nazmul Huda and his wife Sigma Huda have a joint bank account with the Barclays Bank. Huda also has joint account with each of his two daughters with the HSBC and Net West Bank in Britain. They have bought two houses in Britain for GBP02, 85,000 and GBP02, 50,000 respectively.
According to the report, GBP 03,94,202.20 was deposited to the account of Mosharraf Hossain’s wife Bilkis Akter with the HBSC bank in London. Mosharraf’s son also has an account with the same bank. A house has been bought for Bilkis in February 2004 at a cost of GBP 02, 12,000.
It has been said in the note against Loby that in 2005 he bought a housing plot in Dubai at a cost of six lakh Dirham. He has 10,000 pounds in an account with the Loyyds Bank in London. Loby has a house also in Bangkok. His son Sahib Asgar has a house and two cars in Dubai. Sahib has also real estate business there. Loby’s wife Khosnud has a business establishment in Singapore.

Courtesy ofThe New Nation