Dhaka to welcome US move to seize laundered money

Dhaka will be happy if Washington helps it root out corruption, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said yesterday.

“We will be happy if they [US] confiscate the ill-gotten money that is laundered from our country. We will welcome it,” he told journalists after a meeting with former diplomats, academics and civil society members at the capital’s Foreign Service Academy.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday said they have tools such as sanctions and freezing assets of the corrupt people.

Asked if the government would sign defence agreements — Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and General Security of Military Information Agreement — with the US, Momen said he does not think Dhaka will sign any such deal before the next general election.

He said food security and housing are the government’s top priorities.

Enquired about suggestions from his meeting with experts, Momen said they advised on how to deal with the foreign diplomats ahead of the election.

He said foreign diplomats in Bangladesh often make comments (on the country’s internal issues) which does not happen in other countries.

The minister said there was a suggestion that an orientation programme is arranged for journalists on how to ask questions as they don’t ask critical questions on human rights and elections in the foreign diplomats’ countries.

Experts suggested taking pragmatic and effective steps to counter anti-Bangladesh campaign and efforts to undermine the country’s achievements, reports UNB.

They advised on identifying the sources from where disinformation and anti-Bangladesh propaganda are being spread and addressing those with proper counter efforts based on facts.

Prof Mizanur Rahman, former chairman of National Human Rights Commission, mentioned three specific locations — London, Brussels and Washington DC — from where propaganda is being spread.

Former diplomats Farooq Sobhan, Tariq A Karim, Waliur Rahman, Abdul Hannan, Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, Maj Gen (retd) Abdur Rashid, Prof Abdul Mannan, former Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, Prof Lailufar Yasmin, among others, also spoke.