https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/dhaka-explores-ways-recover-money-us-3726691

Dhaka and Washington yesterday discussed the possibility of signing a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) to enhance cooperation in combating corruption and money laundering.

The issue was discussed when Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and US Acting Coordinator for Global Anti-Corruption Shelby Smith-Wilson met in Washington DC.

The foreign secretary is on a weeklong visit to the US.

He held a series of meetings with UN and key US officials in Washington DC and New York. He is scheduled to return home today.

MLAT is an agreement between two or more countries to gather and exchange information to enforce public or criminal laws. A mutual legal assistance request is commonly used to formally interrogate a suspect in a criminal case when the suspect resides in a foreign country.

Early this month, the Anti-Corruption Commission sent 71 such requests to various countries to recover the vast sums laundered abroad during the Awami League government's 15-year tenure.

Bangladesh lost approximately $8.27 billion annually between 2009 and 2018 from mis-invoicing of values of import-export goods by traders to evade taxes and illegal movement of money across international borders, said 2021 Global Financial Integrity's report.