BFIU chief faces BB probe over controversial viral videos

The Bangladesh Bank has launched an investigation against AFM Shahinul Islam, head of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), after his several controversial videos surfaced and went viral on social media.

The central bank's IT department is verifying the authenticity of the videos and an investigation report was supposed to be submitted to the governor on Tuesday.

The video leak coincides with a separate controversy involving Shahinul, who is under fire for allegedly allowing businessman Khandaker Enayet Ullah to withdraw a big amount of money from his frozen bank accounts.

A video reportedly involving Shahinul Islam was circulated on social media, showing him allegedly sending explicit content to a woman.

Shahinul, however, claims the clip was generated using artificial intelligence. Later, the central bank launched an investigation into the matter.

In November last, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) requested the BFIU to freeze 50 bank accounts belonging to Enayet Ullah and his family, containing approximately Tk120 crore.

However, their four accounts at Bank Al-Falah had not been frozen as of April this year, allowing Enayet Ullah to withdraw Tk19 crore, a transaction the ACC only recently detected.

The ACC alleges that the withdrawal was facilitated in exchange for unethical benefits. The investigation also revealed that the frozen accounts originally held Tk101 crore.

Meanwhile, a group of Bangladesh Bank employees, under the banner of ‘Conscious and patriotic employees’, has submitted a memorandum to the governor, urging disciplinary action against Shahinul Islam.

The memorandum, submitted Tuesday, states that the viral videos have severely damaged the image of the state and the institution. It also highlights the ACC's discovery that Islam allegedly allowed the illegal withdrawal of Tk19 crore from Khandaker Enayet Ullah’s frozen bank accounts.

The memo further notes that Shahinul was appointed as the BFIU chief despite not being on the search committee's list, an appointment they describe as ‘unfortunate’.

The employees demanded that Shahinul be sent on immediate mandatory leave with an urgent investigation to take action against him.

They also called for a quick review and implementation of decisions on appointments made on political and partisan grounds before 5 August 2024.

The employees emphasised that these demands are crucial for maintaining discipline in the country’s financial sector and preserving public trust.