A five-member delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) met with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officials on Tuesday to discuss boosting efforts in recovering embezzled funds.
The delegation, led by Marco Teixeira, South Asia Head of the UNODC, visited the ACC to enhance collaboration on recovery of embezzled funds.
During their visit to the ACC headquarters, the delegation received updates on the commission's current initiatives, sources said.
Their discussion centred on strengthening the ACC's capabilities in tackling money laundering and asset recovery, with the UNODC pledging its full support in this regard.
The UNODC team members reiterated their commitment to providing technical assistance and collaboration to help the ACC achieve its objectives.
The UNODC is dedicated to combating drug trafficking and abuse, crime prevention, criminal justice reform, international terrorism, and political corruption.
The ACC's meeting with the UNODC delegation follows a discussion held just a day earlier with the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Meanwhile, Transparency International US (TI-US) and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) have called upon the US government to take urgent action to freeze and return illicit assets transferred from Bangladesh.
In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the heads of both organisations urged the US government to collaborate with Bangladesh and other relevant nations to hold the owners of these illegal assets accountable and assist in repatriating the funds to Bangladesh.
On August 30, the TIB along with four UK-based anti-corruption organisations, sent a similar letter to the UK foreign secretary, urging action to freeze and return illicit Bangladeshi assets.
Additionally, TIB has appealed to other countries such as Switzerland, EU member states, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the UAE to take steps to repatriate funds illegally transferred from Bangladesh.
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