HC orders to investigate into 459 Bangladeshis' Dubai assets

The High Court directs concerned authorities to investigate the allegations of buying assets of 459 Bangladeshi nationals in Dubai, hiding information in home country.

After hearing a plea, the panel of Justices Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Khizir Hayat issued the order on Sunday. Advocate Subir Nandi Das filed the petition on Thursday in the public interest making the ACC, BFIU, NBR and CID defendants.

The application was made based on a report published in a national daily titled “Thousands of properties of 459 Bangladeshis in Dubai” on Wednesday.

The High Court bench assigned four agencies, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of Bangladesh Bank, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police and National Board of Revenue (NBR) to investigate into the matter and submit a progress report within a month.

Dubai is the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the richest countries in the Middle East where Bangladeshis have invested 12 crore 23 lakh dirhams in Dubai in a span of one and a half years. In Bangladeshi currency, the amount stands at 346 crores 96 lakhs 51 thousand BDT, according to the media report.

(1 Dirham = 28.5 BDT approx.)

Considering the study of the data gathered by the US-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), the EU Tax Observatory said 459 Bangladeshis purchased properties in Dubai by concealing information in their home country.