Bangladesh Bank reserve theft case: submission of investigation report postponed again

On Tuesday (13 January), Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Dhaka, Jashita Islam, heard the case for submission of the investigation report. The investigative agency requested more time, which the court granted.

According to Rokonuzzaman, Deputy Superintendent of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Prosecution Department, this is the 92nd time the submission of the investigation report has been delayed.

The case dates back to February 2016, when a cyber-attack targeted Bangladesh Bank’s account in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, leading to the theft of 101 million USD. Of this, 81 million USD was sent to four accounts at RCBC Bank in the Philippines, while an attempt to send the remaining 20 million USD to a Sri Lankan bank failed due to a typo in the transfer instructions. Subsequently, Bangladesh Bank managed to recover around 15 million USD from the Philippines.

The case was filed on 15 March 2016 by Zobayer Bin Huda, then Deputy Director (Accounts and Budgeting) of Bangladesh Bank at Motijheel Police Station, Dhaka. The case is currently being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Previously, on 21 September, CID’s Chief Additional IGP, Md. Shibgat Ullah, stated that 81 million USD in RCBC Bank, Philippines, had already been seized. Legal and diplomatic procedures are being completed to return the funds to Bangladesh promptly, he expressed optimism.