Bangladesh has “doubled down” on efforts to claw back more than $230bn it estimates was diverted out of the country under former ruler Sheikh Hasina, top officials have said, as they seek to shore up an economy hit hard by the global energy shock.
Sheikh Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 15 years before she was overthrown by a student-led revolt in August 2024. A caretaker administration led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus launched a campaign to recover assets that officials say were siphoned out of the country by business and political elites linked to her regime.
That recovery effort has gained greater urgency for the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who won a landslide election in February, because of the Iran energy crisis.