Dozens of BNP-Jamaat men in Washington’s next sanction list

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It seems BNP-Jamaat has finally stepped into its own trap after spending millions of dollars towards lobbyists. According to a credible intelligence source, Biden administration is going to impose sanctions on hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals, which include politicians, businessmen, editors, journalists, jurists, judges, civil and military officers and even NGO officials for buying properties and businesses in the United States with corruption money or dirty money, while they also are being accused of depositing large amount of corruption money in various bank accounts.

The source said, the United States authorities are going to simultaneously impose sanctions and confiscate properties, business establishments and freeze bank accounts of the targeted individuals.

It said, dozens of leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami are also going to fall under the next sanctions.

According to the source, there are over 150 civil-military bureaucrats alongside jurists, judges, businessmen, editors, and journalists in the list. At least 32 former ministers and junior ministers of BNP-Jamaat government are going to fall under sanctions, while there are also names of a large number of BNP-Jamaat lawmakers in the list. It said, BNP-Jamaat ministers, junior ministers and lawmakers had smuggled-out millions of dollars from Bangladesh and purchased properties and business establishments in the US, while they also have “huge deposit” in various banks.

According to the sources, following imposition of sanctions on Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Inspector General of Police and few other officers of RAB, Biden administration now is going to issue fresh list of sanctions targeting a large number of civil servants and politicians in Bangladesh. According to Capitol Hill sources, the Biden administration has decided to adopt a stricter policy on combating corruption. As part of this policy, US President Joe Biden is going to impose sanctions on a large number of civil servants and politicians in Bangladesh.

The policy states that those who purchased properties in the United States and deposited cash through money laundered from abroad would be asked to submit specific evidence showing such properties were not purchased with dirty money. Failing in providing such evidence will result in confiscation of assets and freezing of bank accounts. The US administration will publish list of the sanctioned individuals once punitive measures are taken.

A highly-placed source in the Biden administration told this correspondent that President Joe Biden is putting special emphasis in combating corruption and money laundering under its policy of checking global corruption. As part of this initiative, an investigation has already been launched on gathering details about properties purchased by foreigners through laundered cash.

According to the US administration sources, such actions are not only going to be taken against Bangladeshi civil servants and politicians, but it also will be applied on a large number of individuals from India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and other South Asian nations as well as nations in Asia and other continents. The source said, dozens of Bangladeshi bureaucrats and politicians are already on the potential list of sanctions. It said, the fresh list of sanctions will be published by the first quarter of 2022.

Meanwhile, seeking anonymity, a highly placed intelligence source told Blitz that a large number of high-profile politicians, businessmen and civil-military bureaucrats may come under the new sanction list.

It said, since 2001, the trend of buying properties in the US and depositing large amount of cash in banks by Bangladeshi nationals have reached an alarming level. Such amounts were laundered into the United States mostly through illegal hawala channels operated by Bangladeshi nationals living in New York City and other parts of the country.

The source further said, initially it was anticipated that majority of the people who had purchased properties in the United States with dirty money were politicians from Bangladesh. But the recent investigations have found that most of these people are bureaucrats.

The source said, until now, the US administration has already detected hundreds of properties purchased with dirty money mostly by bureaucrats. Owners of these properties will be asked to submit valid documents showing the amount were earned through legal means and transferred to the United States through banking channels. Anyone failing in providing such evidences will face sanctions and their properties will be confiscated and bank accounts frozen.

The US administration has also detected several properties and bank accounts which are even owned by some serving Bangladeshi bureaucrats.

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