Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur left office on Wednesday amid protests and ultimatums from officials. Shortly after his departure, the government canceled his appointment and named businessman Mostakur Rahman as the new governor. Mansur held an emergency press conference at 2 p.m., describing the protests as a conspiracy by vested interests. He said issues such as bank mergers, state policy, and political economy were not matters for employee organizations to debate.

Mansur explained that the merger process aimed to protect the interests of 7.6 million depositors who had been unable to withdraw their funds for two years. He alleged that a group was spreading misinformation to derail the recovery of merged banks and return them to former owners. Responding to questions about resignation demands, he said he came to serve, not for a job, and would act according to administrative procedures.

After the press conference, media outlets reported the government’s appointment of a new governor. Mansur told journalists he had not resigned but left the office after seeing the news of the new appointment on television.