The oppression, displacement, and denial of basic rights of the people of Bangladesh is no longer a secret. Brokers, looters, and a section of the political and bureaucratic elite have turned the country into a staged playground where public wealth—earned with blood and sweat—is squandered under the cover of inflated budgets and glossy announcements. In reality, most projects exist only on paper. Even the smallest development initiative is designed as a money-making scheme, leaving ordinary consumers and workers as perpetual losers.
Evidence of this systemic rot is abundant—ongoing investigations, leaked names in the Panama and Paradise Papers, and numerous corruption cases reveal that billions have been siphoned abroad and transformed into hidden assets.
(Dhaka Tribune)
Public administration has institutionalized a culture of “no money, no service.” This practice has eroded the very concept of merit. Public employment is no longer a reward for qualification but an auction where those who pay the highest bribes, wield political connections, or deploy old authoritarian tactics secure jobs. Once inside the system, they perpetuate bribery, tender manipulation, and procedural abuse. Recruitment, postings, and transfers have become nightmares of corruption where competence is buried, and the system itself weakened.
(The Asian Age)
Large-scale development projects—roads, embankments, flood protection, and environmental programs—are plagued by bloated budgets, cosmetic reporting, and weak oversight. Billions are allocated, but only fractions are spent on actual work. Roads collapse, embankments break, and reconstruction is needed almost immediately. The cycle repeats, enabling systematic budget inflation and opening channels for illicit wealth transfers abroad. Recent analyses have shown the alarming continuity of these practices.
(The Business Standard)
At the international level, the names of former ministers and political leaders have surfaced with vast overseas properties—luxury real estate, offshore companies—contradicting their official disclosures at home. Multiple investigative reports highlight how unreported foreign assets are quietly built and protected through legal loopholes and offshoring strategies. The absence of accountability among the political and bureaucratic elite sustains this entrenched laundering network.
(Al Jazeera)
The humanitarian consequences are devastating. With no jobs at home, countless citizens risk their lives in perilous migration routes. Many fall prey to human traffickers or perish in boat tragedies. This is not merely personal misfortune; it is an institutional failure. When safe migration channels and domestic employment opportunities collapse, poverty-stricken citizens are forced into dangerous alternatives, perpetuating cycles of poverty and despair. Repeated reports reveal how traffickers remain unpunished while families are destroyed.
(The Daily Star)
Financial crimes compound the crisis: stock market manipulations, banking scandals, loan fraud, and money laundering are rampant. Loan defaults, bribery in banking transactions, and fraudulent investments erode public trust and cripple the investment climate. Recent cases of high-value loan fraud and cross-border laundering confirm the scale and persistence of this illicit transfer of wealth.
(The Business Standard)
Other crimes and irregularities (briefly listed):
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Land grabs and forced evictions, particularly targeting the elderly and poor.
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Inflated government contracts with middlemen profiting from kickbacks.
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Political repression: silencing dissent, electoral fraud, and vote manipulation.
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Politicized policing and selective investigations driven by partisan orders.
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Environmental devastation: embankment failures, mismanaged river projects.
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Laundering of illicit wealth abroad in the names of the poor or front companies.
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Low-quality urban projects where engineering standards are ignored.
The consequences:
Skilled human capital flees abroad, domestic productivity weakens, social justice erodes, and the development economy deteriorates. Citizens face unbearable hardships, yet accountability remains elusive.
(Transparency International UK)
Final Takeaways and Urgent Recommendations
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Transparency & Foreign Asset Tracing: Conduct forensic audits and international asset recovery operations targeting undisclosed wealth abroad.
(Bonik Barta) -
Quality Assurance in Public Projects: Enforce strict standards with independent, multi-tier monitoring.
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Merit-based Recruitment: Institute transparent examinations, enforce accountability, and dismantle bribery in hiring.
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Employment & Migration Policy: Build safe domestic employment avenues to reduce the lure of trafficking and perilous migration.
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International Cooperation: Strengthen cross-border agreements to combat money laundering and financial crimes.
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