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approximately Tk 1.8 lakh crore, had been siphoned off.”
Legal action would be taken against those identified as responsible, he said while responding to a question from Cumilla-9 MP Abul Kalam, during his first question-answer session in parliament.
The foreign ministry, he added, is working closely with relevant ministries and agencies to conclude Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) and exchange Mutual Legal Assistance Requests (MLARs) with other countries to repatriate laundered funds.
Nine countries and one territory have initially been identified as destinations for laundered money. They are the US, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Thailand, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Among them, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to sign agreements while negotiations with the rest are ongoing, the prime minister said.
He also said an inter-agency task force, chaired by the governor of Bangladesh Bank, has been formed, and legal proceedings are underway in 11 prioritised cases identified by the body.
The cases are against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family, former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, S Alam Group, Beximco Group, Sikder Group, Bashundhara Group, NASSA Group, Orion Group, Nabil Group, HBM Iqbal and his family, and Summit Group, along with individuals and institutions linked to their interests, Tarique said.
Led by the Anti-Corruption Commission, investigations are being carried out with support from the CID, NBR’s Central Intelligence Cell, and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Department, he said.
Eleven Joint Investigation Teams have been formed, and courts have attached and frozen assets worth Tk 57,168.9 crore within the country as of March 25, 2026, he said.
In total, assets worth Tk 70,446.22 crore at home and abroad have been frozen, he added.
The prime minister said a total of 141 cases have been filed to recover laundered money, with charge sheets submitted in 15 and verdicts delivered in six.
Responding to a supplementary question from MP Mujibur Rahman, the prime minister said the authorities were preparing a list of individuals involved in money laundering.
“In the past, we have seen various individuals in the government acting on their own wishes and interests, disregarding the country’s laws, rules and ethics -- detaining people as they pleased, forcing them to write whatever they wanted,” he said.
“The current government, however, is respectful of the law. It seeks to act in accordance with the prevailing laws of the country and to ensure justice on a legal basis, so that no person is deprived of rightful justice. For this reason, we will proceed strictly through legal processes,” he added.
“The law will advance at its own pace, and punishments will be determined according to the country’s existing laws for those who have misappropriated the nation’s wealth and laundered people’s money,” Tarique said.
FAMILY CARD
The prime minister also said that since the family card is issued in the name of the female head of household, “it will elevate their status within the family, and promote the empowerment of women both at home and in society”.
He made the comments while responding to a question from MP ABM Mosharrof Hossain, who asked to what extent the government’s newly introduced Family Card programme could create opportunities for women’s empowerment.
He said that the philosophy of the programme is “not the individual, but the family is the main unit of development.”
Currently, assistance is provided to disadvantaged groups through more than 95 social security programmes.
However, despite longstanding support, poverty reduction and improvements in nutrition and health have not reached desired levels, Tarique said.
Launched on March 10, 2026, the Family Card programme aims to cover four crore families nationwide within four years.
Responding to a supplementary question from NCP’s Akhter Hossen, Tarique said the exact budget figure is not being disclosed at this stage, but the programme will expand gradually.
He assured parliament that the government is not printing money, so inflation will not occur.
“Rather, the funds provided will remain within the local economy, as farmers and women are unlikely to launder them abroad. This spending will circulate domestically, strengthening the grassroots economy, creating employment, and improving living standards for marginalised groups.”
MANIFESTO IMPLEMENTATION
Answering another question from MP Tahsina Rushdir, the prime minister said all ministries and divisions are taking necessary initiatives to formulate action plans for the next 180 days, the next fiscal year, and the next five years to implement the BNP’s election pledges.
Significant progress has already been achieved in the implementation of some important activities announced in the election manifesto, he said.
Agricultural loans up to Tk 10,000 in crop, livestock and fisheries sectors have already been waived.
Before Eid-ul-Fitr, allowances for 9,102 beneficiaries, including 3,295 imams, 2,975 muezzins, 2,604 khadems, 114 Hindu temple priests, 83 servicemen, and principals and vice-principals of Buddhist monasteries, were transferred to their bank accounts.
A pilot project to issue 25 lakh e-health cards under a pilot programme in Khulna district is under the approval process.
The 20,000 km canal excavation and re-excavation programme in the next five years began on March 16, 2026. By June, 1,204 km of canals will be excavated or re-excavated.
Afforestation is underway with the aim of planting 25 crore trees and creating green jobs in the next five years.
Plans are also underway to distribute free school uniforms to 200,000 primary students this fiscal year.
To improve technical and language skills, 9,000 teachers of technical institutions will be provided with tablets within 180 days, and 3,832 multimedia classrooms will be set up.