HC summons BFIU chief for info holdback

The High Court summons head of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) Md Masud Biswas for allegedly submitting minced information on money deposited by Bangladeshi individuals and organisations with Swiss banks.
He has been asked to appear before the court at 11.00am Wednesday to explain his position over such "improper" submission of information on this much-talked-about matter of money laundering.
An HC bench comprising justices Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Khizir Hayat passed the order after hearing a Suo Moto (voluntary) rule on this issue.
Ambassador of Switzerland in Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard on August 10 this year said at a programme that the Bangladesh government did not ask for any specific information about the money stashed into Swiss banks.
Following the statement, the HC called for the documents that were submitted to the HC on behalf of the Bangladesh Bank and the BFIU. However, no one's name, seal and designation were mentioned in the documents submitted by the BFIU although the HC earlier had asked to submit the documents properly. In this circumstance, the court subpoenaed the BFIU chief.
State counsel and also Deputy Attorney-General AKM Amin Uddin Manik submitted the documents in the court on behalf of the central bank and the BFIU.
At one stage of the hearing the court quipped, "He gives some information on a white paper. No name, address and designation were mentioned. Isn't it confusing? Is the matter such that making sure of something without risking anything?
"Maybe, he wants his name (the officer who gave the paper to be submitted in the court) not to come to fore. Why is he so afraid of? He should have a signature under what he wrote. He did not write his name, did not sign, which is very indifference. Will anyone accept it? This information cannot be relied on. It is frustrating to submit such a paper."
Then the court passed the order summoning the BFIU chief.
The Swiss envoy made the statement over seeking specific information about the money deposited by Bangladeshis with Swiss banks on August 10. The following day, the HC bench asked the state and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to inform it about the authenticity of the statement of the Swiss ambassador.
On August 14, the state and the ACC informed the HC that the statement of Nathalie Chuard regarding the request for specific information on the money deposited with Swiss banks is not correct.

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