The government has formed a six-member review committee, led by Legal Adviser Asif Nazrul, to assess the 2016 Bangladesh Bank reserve heist. The committee has been instructed to submit recommendations within three months, as per a gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Wednesday.
The committee includes Road Transport and Bridges Adviser and Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan; Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for Posts, Telecommunications, and ICT Ministry Fayez Ahmad Tayyab; Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur; Biman Bangladesh Airlines Director Ali Ashfaq; and Rupali Bank Chairman Md. Nazrul Huda.
Their mandate covers reviewing the investigation progress on the heist, evaluating government measures taken so far, identifying accountability, and recommending steps to prevent future incidents. The Financial Institutions Division will provide secretarial support to the committee, which can add members or hold meetings as needed.
Liberty News’ economic correspondent states that on February 5, 2016, hackers used fraudulent SWIFT codes to siphon off $81 million from Bangladesh Bank’s Federal Reserve Bank of New York account. The stolen funds were transferred to three casinos in the Philippines. While the Philippine government managed to recover and return $15 million, the remaining $66.4 million remains untraceable.
LND/BG
