BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday expressed deep concern over the sharp rise in deposits by Bangladeshis in Swiss banks last year, saying it has shown the extent of looting by the Awami League’s corrupt elements and mafias.
“I was disheartened to see newspaper reports indicating a significant increase in the amount of money deposited in Swiss banks (by Bangladeshis)…It clearly reflects the massive scale of plundering carried out by the mafia and looter clique during the fascist rule,” he said while addressing a discussion.
The programme was organised by the Biplobi Workers Party at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, marking the party’s 21st founding anniversary.
Fakhrul said he did not exactly know who, when, or how such a large amount of money was deposited in the Swiss banks.
“But after seeing this news, every patriotic person may wonder whether any real change has taken place after the mass uprising… If the report pertains to the year 2024, it is authentic,” he said.
According to media reports, the amount of money deposited by Bangladeshis in Swiss banks has increased significantly, rising 33 times in just one year.
The total deposits jumped to around 590 million Swiss francs in 2024, compared to only 17.7 million francs in 2023, said the latest annual report by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), published on Thursday.
Fakhrul alleged the fascist Awami League has destroyed all the institutions in Bangladesh during its around 16 years of misrule.
“They destroyed the electoral system, state institutions, the judiciary, bureaucracy, education, healthcare and almost every other sector. Now, the current government is trying to restore and fix all these sectors,” he said.
The BNP leader said the interim government has started working to this end and has undoubtedly done a lot of good deeds. “They’re showing us the (right) way. We hope that all political parties involved in the anti-fascist movement will now work together in unity and support them.”
He also hoped that the government will help the nation achieve the goal of establishing a truly democratic state and governance system.
“Let’s all utilise the scope created by the mass uprising to rebuild the state and the nation and to transform the country into a genuine democracy,” Fakhrul said.
Speaking about a recent meeting in London between Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Fakhrul said their party now sees a ray of hope regarding the upcoming national election.
“Over the last 10 months, many incidents in Bangladesh made us uncertain about the future. But we are now encouraged and hopeful. When we saw our Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman hold talks with Professor Yunus, and they reached agreements on several key issues, it gave us hope. We now believe that there could be an election in February next year,” he said.
The BNP leader said the interim government's reform efforts are progressing with support from political parties. “We have already reached agreement on many issues. For those where we still have differences, we will continue our discussions. After the election, we will bring those matters to Parliament and work towards a consensus.”
Fakhrul also said reforms of this scale cannot be achieved through discussions alone. “It is not possible to fulfill people’s dreams within the current state structure. That is why we have proposed 31 points, developed through discussions with all parties, aimed at bringing deep political, economic and social changes,” he said.
Stating that the National Citizen Party (NCP) is set to submit its application for registration with the Election Commission on Sunday, Fakhrul said, “We had welcomed them earlier, and we welcome them once again now!”
He said they have high expectations from the young leaders who played a vital role in the mass uprising and have formed a new political party. “These young people, who actively led and participated in the recent movement, and whose colleagues have sacrificed their lives—we believe their leadership will help us achieve our goals.”
