Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur visited London from June 10 to June 13 as part of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus’s entourage.
During his visit, the BB governor held several important separate meetings to support key policy issues, as stated by Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary.
On June 11, Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur, accompanied by Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Dr. Mohammad Abdul Momen, visited the UK National Crimes Agency (NCA). They met with several senior officials, including Daniel Murphy, head of the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC).
Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur conveyed his appreciation for the ongoing support and close collaboration between IACCC and Bangladesh’s Asset Recovery Taskforce, as well as for the technical assistance provided to the 11 Joint Investigations Teams (JITs) formed to investigate the 11 Priority Asset Recovery Cases.
He also expressed gratitude for the NCA’s asset freeze of £170 million of former land minister Syefuzzaman Choudury Javed’s property assets in the UK. This followed a £90 million asset freeze of Shayan Rahman and Shariar Rahman of the Beximco group’s assets last month.
The governor expressed his hope for deeper collaboration with NCA/IACCC in the future. He also hoped that the UK’s decision to lead with an aggregate £250 million in asset freezes would inspire other key money laundering destination country governments to take similar actions to support Bangladesh’s asset recovery efforts.
Following the NCA visit, the governor was the Chief Guest at an Asset Recovery Roundtable hosted by the leading global law firm DLA Piper.
This roundtable was attended by major litigation funders such as Omni Bridgeway and Benchwalk Capital, investigation firms like Alvarez and Marsal, and sovereign advisory/strategic communications firm Unitas Global.
Discussions at the roundtable focused on the roadmap to achieve the governor’s goal of mobilizing US$100 million in litigation funding to finance 30 cases before the end of 2025.
Several participants emphasized the need to quickly sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with Bangladesh Bank and individual banks to share data on their Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) and initiate the process of asset tracing and legal actions for recovery.
The governor also expressed support for the suggestion from the roundtable attendees to establish a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to pursue legal claims in key target countries like the UK and Singapore. The aim is to institutionalize the asset recovery process and make it more resilient to political changes.
Furthermore, Governor Mansur met with Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, to update them on the improving macroeconomic outlook in Bangladesh and encourage greater investment in the banking sector and capital markets.
He also met with the Lord Mayor of London and leading fintech companies to discuss increased investment and collaboration between the City of London and Bangladesh’s financial sector.
The governor extended an invitation to the Lord Mayor to visit Bangladesh at his earliest convenience.
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