Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus has sought the cooperation of the Canadian government in bringing back money laundered in Bangladesh.
Canadian High Commissioner to Dhaka Ajit Singh sought this cooperation when he met the Chief Advisor at the State Guest House Jamuna on Tuesday.
Dr. Yunus said, "The oligarch businessmen, their close associates and political figures during the regime of dictator Sheikh Hasina have stolen hundreds of billions of US dollars from Bangladesh. A portion of which has been smuggled to Canada, particularly through the purchase of properties in the notorious 'Begum Para' area of Toronto."
He seeks help in identifying, seizing and recovering assets smuggled into Canada. The chief advisor said, "They stole our people's money and bought assets in Begum Para. We seek your help in recovering these assets. These are the assets of our people."
The Canadian High Commissioner welcomed the efforts of the interim government led by Professor Yunus to recover the stolen funds. He assured that the Canadian government would support the Chief Advisor's efforts to recover his assets.
He said the Canadian government has a "process" in place to seize and recover money laundered by identified individuals.
The Canadian ambassador also said that his country is ready to support the reform program undertaken by the interim government for the transition to democracy in Bangladesh.
