Govt cancels contract with BFIU chief

The government has cancelled contractual appointment of AFM Shahinul Islam, the head of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU).

The Financial Institution Division (FID) issued a notification to this regard on Tuesday.

Earlier, on Sunday, a four-member committee, formed to investigate allegations against the BFIU chief, submitted its report to the government.

The investigation was launched after some "objectionable  news/information (still/video images)" was published/broadcasted about the BFIU chief in electronic, print, and social media.

Report by bdnews24.com adds, the BFIU is responsible for investigating money laundering, suspicious transactions, and cash transaction reports and works under Bangladesh Bank

Shahinul had been on compulsory leave since Aug 19 this year.

He was appointed as the head of BFIU for two years in January 2025. The Ministry of Finance has now cancelled Shahinul's contract nine months after he took charge.

In August this year, a committee was formed to investigate after a controversial video of the BFIU chief went viral.

A video on Facebook showed Shahinul in a private video call with a woman. His "behaviour" during the call triggered sharp criticism across different platforms.

Shahinul told some outlets at the time that the video was shared to "humiliate" him.

He was then placed on leave.

syful-islam@outlook.com