Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told parliament on Wednesday that Bangladesh is tracing approximately 234 billion US dollars allegedly laundered abroad during the previous regime. Responding to a written question from MP Md. Abul Kalam, he said the government aims to recover the funds for public welfare. According to him, assets worth about 70,446 crore taka have already been seized or frozen domestically and overseas under court orders.

The prime minister said the interim government’s white paper committee estimated that between 2009 and 2023, illicit financial outflows averaged 16 billion dollars annually. Ten countries have been identified as destinations for the laundered money, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Thailand, the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong-China. Agreements on mutual legal assistance have been reached with Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the UAE, while talks with the remaining seven countries are ongoing.

Rahman added that a task force led by the Bangladesh Bank governor is pursuing recovery through 11 priority cases, with 141 total cases filed so far. The government has made asset recovery a top priority in its broader anti-corruption and anti-money laundering strategy.