Bangladesh may sign treaty with UK to get back black money

Dhaka, Oct 3 (UNI) The interim government of Bangladesh, in an effort to recover the black money siphoned off to UK from the country, is contemplating to sign a treaty with the British government for getting assistance in this endeavour.

Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) Secretary Mukhles Ur Rahman yesterday told the Daily Star about the plan.

New Scotland Yard is responsible for policing the Greater London area and for helping other countries in investigating criminal offences.

''We are working to strike a deal with the Scotland Yard for recovering the money smuggled off from the country,'' said the ACC Secretary, adding that an agreement needs to be signed between the two countries for the cooperation.

He also said that before signing the treaty the government needs to promulgate some laws giving the specific bilateral relation, legality for getting regular assistance in the future.

Earlier ACC Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowhdury was assured by the Scotland Yard, of every assistance in recovering the money smuggled off from Bangladesh, while he was visiting Yard.

Government sources say that between the months of April and August this year the government had recovered more than Tk 3,315 crore of siphoned off money, of which more than Tk 435 crore were deposited in the Bangladesh Bank while the rest of it has yet to be deposited.

The Bangladesh Bank however has no concrete account of the money siphoned off.

The task of recovering the smuggled off money will incur a huge cost, the commission is trying to reach an agreement with the British government, under which Bangladesh will be allowed to pay off the cost after the smuggled off money is recovered. And the cost will be paid off from the recovered money itself.

UNI