The High Court has summoned Masud Biswas, head of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), for failing to follow the proper procedure in relation to a report that was submitted to the court on the accounts maintained by Bangladeshis in Swiss banks.
The panel of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat issued the order after a hearing on Tuesday. Biswas must appear before the court at 11 am on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.
Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state at the hearing, while Md Khurshid Alam Khan appeared on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
According to the court, the report did not carry the name, designation or signature of the BFIU chief, and therefore, failed to meet procedural requirements. "Why is there so much fear about attaching the name and designation?" the senior judge said.
Speaking at an event organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh on Aug 10, Swiss Ambassador to Dhaka Nathalie Chuard said Bangladesh did not request any specific information about funds deposited by Bangladeshis in Swiss banks.
“We have given all the information to the government on reaching an agreement [on access to banking information]. But no request has been submitted regarding particular funds,” she said.
A day later, the High Court on its own initiative sought an explanation from the government and the ACC on the matter.
In response, the lawyer for the state submitted a BFIU report to the court on Aug 14.
The court later heard the statements from the state and the ACC. It commented that the statement given by the Swiss ambassador 'contradicted' the accounts of the government and the ACC.
The court then ordered that the report and statement be submitted in the form of an 'affidavit'.