The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on Tuesday promised to provide full-fledged cooperation with the Anti-Corruption Commission in preventing money laundering and recovering assets laundered from Bangladesh.

The UN agency assured to cooperate on the day as a five-member delegation of the UNODC held a meeting with the ACC officials at the commission’s head office in Dhaka.

Marco Teixeria, South Asia head of UNODC, led the delegation.

ACC officials said that there was a detailed discussion on the cooperation from UNODC to increase the capacity of the ACC, especially in the field of prevention of money laundering and recovery of stolen assets.

The ACC also informed the UN agency of its activities during the meeting.

The UNODC works against trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs, crime prevention and criminal justice, international terrorism, and political corruption.

The meeting was held a day after a meeting between officials of the ACC and the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States.

It is alleged that people from various professions, including politicians, businesspeople, bureaucrats, and police officials, laundered nearly Tk 1 lakh crore from Bangladesh.

The money launderers made their fortunes abroad and purchased properties, established business entities, and invested in second homes in different countries including the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Malaysia, Dubai and Singapore.

The commission took the fresh move to bring back the laundered money as Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, formed on August 8, announced that the laundered money would be recovered.

According to Washington-based Global Financial Integrity, on average $753.37 crore is laundered every year from Bangladesh through international trade.

A GFI 2021 report estimated that $8.27 billion was laundered annually on average between 2009 and 2018.

According to the National Strategy for Prevention of Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism, most of the Bangladeshi money has been laundered in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Cayman Islands, and British Virgin Islands.