Newly appointed Governor of Bangladesh Bank and eminent economist Ahsan H Mansur sounded a note of warning against money launderers on Wednesday, stating that the culprits will not be allowed to sleep in peace.
“Even if the money is not recovered, we will keep them on the run in accordance with the law,” he told journalists on his first day of office, at a press conference held in Bangladesh Bank.
Mansur added, “The money launderers will be caught not only through the efforts of the government and Bangladesh Bank, but with support from international communities and agencies as well.
“We will create such a situation that those who have taken the money abroad will suffer. I will make sure that they can no longer sleep on their bed of money. International law is now somewhat favourable and the irregularities must be used. Whether the money is recovered or not, they will remain in trouble.”
The new governor promised to formulate a plan for banking sector reform within a week.
He said, “The Bangladesh Bank was responsible for the chaos in the banking sector. To resolve this situation, I will take up a plan within a week after holding discussions with every stakeholder.
“Moreover, I will have a discussion with officials concerned very soon to decide a course of action for dealing with the persistent USD shortage.”
Mansur added, “The central bank’s main task is to control inflation. So this responsibility falls on us whether we like it or not. Since inflation is now on the rise and reserves are on the decline, we have to incorporate steps into our policy to resolve such issues.”
“We will work on bringing these two indicators to a moderate level within a short period of time. However, in terms of increasing reserves, the issue of imports should also be handled with caution. Measures should be taken by regulating imports and exports.”
In response to journalists' questions, the governor said, “The defaulted loan data should be consolidated, because such loans show lower figures due to various facilities previously given to defaulters.
“Besides, a lot of money is stuck in the court procedures. Considering every aspect, the amount of defaulted loans will increase.”
