Staff Reporter
Newly appointed Attorney General Mahbubey Alam yesterday said that he would take necessary steps to bring back the public money laundered by the bigwigs during the immediate-past BNP-led alliance government and keep special vigilance to prevent domestic wealth from being smuggled out.
The Attorney Office will assist the Government in bringing back money, siphoned off through laundering, share scams and forfeiture of invoice in opening L/C due to loopholes is the laws, he said while briefing reporters taking over charge.
The Attorney General said his office would also remain alert so that incidents of such kind cannot be taken place any make.
Earlier on Sunday, a delegation comprising the United States justice department’s deputy chief Linda M Samuel, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Deborah Heprevotte and UK Institute of Management consultant Ferdous Ahmed met Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shafique Ahmed at his and sought Bangladesh’s assistance in their bid to recover around $200 million allegedly paid in kickbacks to former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s son Arafat Rahman Koko and some former ministers.
They also handed over a list of the persons suspected of receiving the sums during the immediate past four-party alliance rule.
On Monday, the delegation held separate meetings with top officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission and law enforcing agencies and sought their assistance in recovering the said money.
The US and UK officials told reporters that Arafat Rahman Koko and a dozen ministers and leaders of four-party are reported to have received $200 million in bribe for awarding work to foreign companies.
The delegation had been in the city for over a week and held several meetings with local officials concerned.
However, a vernacular daily quoted the US embassy in Dhaka saying that the main focus of the US delegation was not to investigate the matter relating to Koko; rather to discuss the case filed against the Simens and better the relations between the two country’s justice departments.
The delegation came to Bangladesh on Sunday and left Dhaka Tuesday.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
