A Dhaka court has rescheduled to 2 July the deadline for submitting the investigation report on the Bangladesh Bank reserve heist, marking the 95th deferral.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam passed the order Monday after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) failed to submit its findings during proceedings.
The court then set the new date, said Ruknuzzaman, sub‑inspector of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s prosecution division.
The case stems from the fraudulent transfer of $81 million from the central bank’s account at the US Federal Reserve Bank on 5 February 2016.
The funds were stolen using the SWIFT messaging system and moved to the Philippines. Officials at the time suspected a domestic syndicate may have assisted in the laundering process.
Following the heist, Zubair Bin Huda, joint director of the central bank’s Accounts and Budgeting Department, filed a case at Motijheel Police Station on 15 March 2016 under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, though no individuals were initially named as accused.
The CID has been investigating for years but repeatedly sought extensions. Of the $81 million sent to the Philippines, the money was converted into pesos and funneled into three casinos.
The Philippine government later recovered $15 million from one casino owner and returned it to Bangladesh, but $66.4 million remains missing.
In 2019, Bangladesh Bank filed a lawsuit in the Manhattan Southern District Court in New York to recover the outstanding funds.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) petitioned to dismiss the suit, and in April 2022 the court dismissed it, citing lack of “sufficient jurisdiction.”
The central bank later announced it had filed a case in a New York court with jurisdiction.
