The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has requested necessary measures to temporarily freeze the funds and assets stored in the security vault of Bangladesh Bank. Additionally, the ACC has urged authorities to ensure that no one can access the lockers or remove any stored items or documents.
On February 2, the ACC sent a letter to the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, making this request. The letter stated that, on January 26, with the court’s permission and in the presence of an Executive Magistrate, an ACC team searched the safe deposit of former Deputy Governor Sitangshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury in the coin vault of Bangladesh Bank. During the search, they unsealed three containers and recovered 55,000 euros, 169,300 US dollars, 1 kilogram and 5.4 grams of gold, and an FDR (Fixed Deposit Receipt) worth 7 million BDT.
The ACC further mentioned in the letter that, upon examining the registers, it was found that several other officials of Bangladesh Bank had also sealed and stored assets in their lockers. The ACC suspects that these sealed containers may also contain undeclared assets. Furthermore, the letter specifically highlighted that investigations are ongoing regarding money laundering and other allegations against several officials of Bangladesh Bank.
In this context, the Anti-Corruption Commission has formally requested the temporary freezing of funds and assets stored in these lockers.
Additionally, the letter stated that on January 30, a discussion took place between the ACC Chairman and the Financial Advisor, regarding the assets stored in Bangladesh Bank’s vault. During the discussion, the Financial Advisor approved the decision to temporarily freeze these assets.
The ACC believes that this decision will accelerate the investigation process related to the assets stored in Bangladesh Bank’s vault.