Ahsan H Mansur, a representative of civil society, has spoken fine words since becoming the Governor of Bangladesh Bank. However, his actions have been quite the opposite. While he publicly declared a war against money laundering, he allegedly made secret compromises with recognized money launderers.
Ahsan Mansur used to write regularly for a newspaper owned by a specific industrial group. Specific information regarding money laundering was found against this group, and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) launched an investigation. For the sake of the probe, it became necessary to temporarily freeze several bank accounts of the group. The ACC requested the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) to freeze the accounts. At that point, Ahsan H. Mansur stepped in. He directly instructed the BFIU not to freeze their bank accounts.
Allegations of laundering approximately Tk80,000 crore were found against a consumer goods importing institution. The ACC moved to investigate these allegations. With the commission’s approval, a three-member special investigation team was formed on 8 April, led by ACC Deputy Director Ahsanul Kabir Palash.
As part of the investigation, the team sent letters to various banks and relevant offices. The ACC decided to temporarily suspend their bank accounts. However, Ahsan H Mansur obstructed the process. On his orders, the group’s bank accounts were not seized. Fur-thermore, Bangladesh Bank obtained specific evidence of money laundering through over-invoicing by a top group in the garment industry. Whenever a decision was made to take action against the institution, Ahsan Mansur intervened. There are at least a dozen such allegations where no action was taken despite specific proof of money laundering against various individuals and institutions.
According to multiple officials at Bangladesh Bank, the then-governor Ahsan H Mansur covered up these money laundering issues through secret and unethical transactions. Of-ficials believe he pocketed crores of taka in every instance.
Allegations of Bribery and Embezzlement
A senior official of Bangladesh Bank stated that after many people’s bank accounts were seized, they contacted Ahsan Mansur privately. Their accounts were then reopened through illegal transactions, leading to extreme levels of administrative tyranny.
Investigations reveal that the former governor embezzled at least Tk200 crore through corruption and irregularities over 18 months. A source within Bangladesh Bank men-tioned that he didn’t even fulfill his end of the bargain for everyone he took money from; there are allegations that he took bribes but failed to deliver the promised results. An anonymous businessman claimed that a large sum of money was taken from him with an assurance that his bank account would be unfrozen, but the Governor did not do it until his last day in office.
Most of the illegally earned money was laundered abroad by Ahsan Mansur.
The Dubai Property Mystery
An allegation has surfaced that the former Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Ahsan H Man-sur, purchased a luxury flat worth Tk45 crore in Dubai for his daughter, Mehrin Sara Mansur.
Recently, the former Governor told the media that he has never sent any money abroad. He claimed the Dubai property belongs to his daughter, Mehrin Sara, and was purchased in 2023. He further claimed his name appears on the deed only as a “guardian”.
However, according to data from the Dubai Land Department, the flat was purchased on 24 December, 2024. According to the deed, the flat is located in the Al Jaddaf area of Dubai. The deed lists both Ahsan H Mansur and Mehrin Sara Mansur as owners.
He is not mentioned as a “guardian” there. According to the rules of the Dubai Land De-partment, if someone is an appointee/guardian and not an owner, their status as a guard-ian is explicitly stated. If only the name is mentioned, it legally signifies direct ownership. Therefore, the claim that his name appears as a guardian is not factually correct based on the documents.
Physical Presence in Dubai
It has been learned that Ahsan H Mansur was physically present in Dubai on the day of the flat’s registration. According to Bangladesh Bank records, he traveled to Djibouti on 19 December, 2024. He then went to Ethiopia on 22 December, 2024. On the same day, he traveled from Addis Ababa to Dubai. He left Dubai for Dhaka at night on 24 De-cember, 2024.
According to this schedule, he was in Dubai all day on December 24 – the exact day the flat registration was completed. Dubai Land Department rules require the physical pres-ence and signature of the buyer during the deed execution. While “Power of Attorney” or digital services are alternatives, the deed contains a signature rather than a representa-tive’s name, pointing toward Mansur’s physical presence.
Concerned circles believe that the former Governor, who spoke of stopping money laun-dering, is a money launderer himself – a “white-collar criminal.” Bangladesh Bank officials have stated that his money laundering activities need to be investigated and that a travel ban should be imposed on him until the investigation is complete.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
