US to support Bangladesh tackling money laundering, terror financing

DHAKA, Sept 21, 2019 (BSS) – The US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller has reiterated his country’s commitment to supporting Bangladesh in tackling money laundering and terrorism financing, and strengthening rule of law.

He made the assurance while inaugurating a workshop on financial crimes, jointly organised by the US Embassy here and Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) at a city hotel here on Thursday, a US embassy press release said today.

Noting that terrorists and financial crimes become more sophisticated across the globe, the US envoy said it is important, investigators and prosecutors receive training on new techniques of combating terrorism, terrorist financing, money laundering, and other crimes.

BFIE Head Abu Hena Mohammad Razee Hassan also spoke at the inaugural session of the three-day workshop that ended today with Ambassador Miller in the chair. It was attended by around 40 representatives from different law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial sectors.

This workshop provided law enforcement officers and prosecutors with fundamental information and techniques to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.

The topics included internationally-established good practices, legal framework for investigating and prosecuting money laundering offenses, techniques to be applied in financial crimes investigations, forensic financial analysis, recovering assets through international cooperation, and mutual legal assistance.

The United States has a long history of working with Bangladeshi partners to support the growth of the legal sector in Bangladesh, and since 2005 has sponsored numerous programs focusing on areas including countering terrorism financing and anti-money laundering, according to the release.