Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday sought support from foreign friends to bring back billions of dollars stolen from the country as he spent a busy day at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
He urged the global leaders to send top experts, think tanks, journalists, and international organisations to Bangladesh to dig into how the plain and daylight robbery was committed during the 16-year rule of Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted by a student-led mass uprising on August 5.
Professor Yunus, also a Nobel laureate, met Wolfgang Schmidt, head of the Federal Chancellery and federal minister for Special Tasks, Federal Chancellery of Germany, King Philippe of Belgium, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, prime minister of Thailand, Ignazio Cassis, federal councillor, Federal Department for Foreign Affairs, Switzerland, Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, United Arab Emirates, United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres, Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, former US special envoy on climate change, John Kerry, and former British prime minister Tony Blair, among others, on his second day at the WEF, said a press release issued by the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing from Davos.
Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy to the chief adviser, Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary to SDG affairs, and Tareq Ariful Islam, Bangladesh鈥檚 permanent representative in Geneva, were, among others, present in the meetings.
Lutfey Siddiqi briefed German minister Wolfgang Schmidt on the government鈥檚 efforts in recovering the stolen money, saying that an asset recovery committee and a taskforce were formed headed by the Bangladesh Bank governor.
He said that the government had targeted the top 20 money launderers initially in this regard, according to the release.
Highlighting the Interim Government鈥檚 efforts to build a corruption-free Bangladesh, chief adviser Yunus told the German minister, 鈥榃hen we talk about new Bangladesh, we also talk about clean Bangladesh.鈥�
The chief adviser sought German support to this effect and also discussed potential fields of economic cooperation with the German minister.
The German minister said a new German business delegation would visit Bangladesh in April, the release added.
Professor Yunus said that Bangladesh intended to create an economic platform, also involving India, Nepal, and Bhutan, to explore the hydroelectric potential of Nepal.
鈥楴epal is really ready to sell, and Bangladesh is a good market. It can create a lot of jobs and lessen dependence on fossil fuels,鈥� he said.
The chief adviser also discussed elaborately with Swiss federal councillor Ignazio Cassis on the issues of mutual interests, including economic cooperation and climate financing.
He requested Switzerland to support Bangladesh in its carbon retention efforts in the world鈥檚 largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans.
He also urged Switzerland to invest in Bangladesh to cash in on the potentials of Bangladesh鈥檚 youth, with young people under 27 years making up half the country鈥檚 population.
Professor Yunus briefed the global leaders about the reform plans of his government and the plan for the next general election.
In his meeting with the German minister and Swiss councillor, he also discussed Bangladesh鈥檚 energy security.
The chief adviser also discussed with Thailand prime minister Shinawatra the Rohingya crisis and areas of economic cooperation.
鈥榃e want to resolve the Rohingya crisis quickly as more and more Rohingyas are coming to Bangladesh,鈥� he said.
Shinawatra, one of the youngest prime ministers in the world, expressed her interest in increasing youth engagement between the two countries following the July uprising in Bangladesh.
The Thai prime minister said that the BIMSTEC summit would be held in Bangkok in April this year. Professor Yunus said that he looked forward to taking over as chairman of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation during the planned summit of the organisation.
The chief adviser also sought Thailand鈥檚 support for Bangladesh to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in turn become a full member of the body.
Bangladesh lost $16 billion annually on an average between 2009 and 2023 because of the illicit fund flow amid systemic tax evasion, misuse of exemptions, and poorly managed public finances under the authoritarian Awami League regime.聽聽聽聽
The illicit financial outflows are more than double the combined value of net foreign aid and foreign direct investment, according to the 鈥榃hite Paper on the state of Bangladesh economy鈥� report released in December by a 12-member committee headed by economist Debapriya Bhattacharya, highlighting misappropriation of public funds by the authoritarian regime and its oligarchs.
The professor Yunus-led interim government took over on August 8 after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
