Press Club condemns BFIU as it seeks bank account details of 11 journalists

The Jatiya Press Club (JPC) on Wednesday strongly denounced Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) for seeking bank account details of 11 journalist leaders, and said it has tarnished the image of the journalist community.

In an emergency meeting, the JPC managing committee demanded the BFIU immediately withdraw such a “disgraceful decision”, said a press release.

“Under the existing law, allegations against an individual can be investigated. But there are enough reasons to consider it a motivated decision since the letters were issued in the names of the elected top leaders of all organisations of only a particular profession (seeking their account details),” said the JPC meeting.

Voicing surprise over the BFIU move, the meeting said, “The image of the journalist community has been tarnished with the seeking of bank account details of its leaders in a wholesale manner. Even a national institution like the Jatiya Press Club has been put into question in an unprecedented way.”

It also said the elected journalist leaders have been publicly humiliated and their social status has been tarnished.

The BFIU of the Bangladesh Bank issued letters to the commercial banks asking for details of bank accounts of 11 journalist leaders last week.