Thursday, 30 January, 2025
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain alleged today that large-scale bank thefts took place during previous Awami League governments with direct support from high-level leadership.
“The looting of money from our banks was not accidental. It was facilitated by backing from the highest levels of authority,” Hossain said.
He made these remarks while inaugurating the first phase of the Integrated Online Authentication Management (Apostille Convention 1961) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hossain expressed concern over certain banks being deliberately weakened, warning that “good banks are being burdened with bad loans intentionally. Such actions would not have been possible without support from top authorities.”
Referring to the issue of 60,000 Bangladeshi passports being withheld in Italy, he attributed the problem to document credibility concerns.
“A broker from Bangladesh secured approval from an organization in Italy, but that organization cannot manage the process properly,” he explained.
“A nation’s image is not built in a day, nor does it collapse overnight. When Bangladeshis account for the highest number of deaths while crossing the Mediterranean, positive statements alone cannot protect our image,” he said.
However, he noted that positive actions help improve perceptions.
“When a Bangladeshi-origin taxi driver returns lost money abroad, our image improves automatically. But when an MP is jailed in another country for corruption, it damages our reputation,” he added.
Citing Qatar as an example, he said, “If a mission has to process 300 passports daily, how can it provide any other service?”
To address this, he stated that efforts are underway to increase staffing in foreign missions and digitize services.
“We must modernize our system so that passport applicants no longer need to visit missions. Instead, passport services should reach them with proper documentation,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Md. Jasim Uddin, Cabinet Division Secretary for Reform Affairs Mahmudul Hossain Khan, and ICT Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury also spoke at the event.
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Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain alleged today that large-scale bank thefts took place during previous Awami League governments with direct support from high-level leadership.
“The looting of money from our banks was not accidental. It was facilitated by backing from the highest levels of authority,” Hossain said.
He made these remarks while inaugurating the first phase of the Integrated Online Authentication Management (Apostille Convention 1961) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hossain expressed concern over certain banks being deliberately weakened, warning that “good banks are being burdened with bad loans intentionally. Such actions would not have been possible without support from top authorities.”
Referring to the issue of 60,000 Bangladeshi passports being withheld in Italy, he attributed the problem to document credibility concerns.
“A broker from Bangladesh secured approval from an organization in Italy, but that organization cannot manage the process properly,” he explained.
“A nation’s image is not built in a day, nor does it collapse overnight. When Bangladeshis account for the highest number of deaths while crossing the Mediterranean, positive statements alone cannot protect our image,” he said.
However, he noted that positive actions help improve perceptions.
“When a Bangladeshi-origin taxi driver returns lost money abroad, our image improves automatically. But when an MP is jailed in another country for corruption, it damages our reputation,” he added.
Citing Qatar as an example, he said, “If a mission has to process 300 passports daily, how can it provide any other service?”
To address this, he stated that efforts are underway to increase staffing in foreign missions and digitize services.
“We must modernize our system so that passport applicants no longer need to visit missions. Instead, passport services should reach them with proper documentation,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Md. Jasim Uddin, Cabinet Division Secretary for Reform Affairs Mahmudul Hossain Khan, and ICT Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury also spoke at the event.
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