Since the interim government assumed office on 5 August 2024, it has taken a series of initiatives to recover laundered money siphoned off from Bangladesh to various countries. While much of the government’s focus has been on the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and some European nations, statistics suggest that a significant portion of illicit wealth has ended up in Canada.
Those who laundered money to Canada have built vast empires of wealth there. At least 1,000 such individuals are currently residing in Canada. Although discussions often revolve around those based in India, the UAE, the UK, and the US, little is said about the money launderers who have made Canada their home.
According to Canadian government data, more than 3,000 Bangladeshis have been granted permanent residency each year between 2018 and 2024. From 2006 to November 2024, a total of 44,186 Bangladeshis secured PR status. Allegations have emerged that many recent immigrants, particularly those who arrived through the investor category, used illegally acquired wealth to qualify. They are now leading lavish lives abroad using money looted from Bangladesh.
Senior bureaucrats top the list of those who built fortunes in Canada, followed by businessmen and politicians. Many have sent their families to Canada, giving rise to what is now known as “Begumpara.” The term has become synonymous with corruption and money laundering, frequently appearing in Bangladeshi media reports.
The name “Begumpara” was inspired by an Indian filmmaker, Rashmi Lamba, who made a documentary titled Begumpura: The Wives’ Colony, about South Asian women living in Mississauga, near Lake Ontario. In these neighbourhoods, wives lived alone while their husbands worked in the Middle East. Over time, “Begumpura” evolved into “Begumpara,” referring to the wealthy neighbourhoods where the wives and families of Bangladesh’s corrupt elites now reside, enjoying lives of luxury funded by stolen wealth.
Real estate agents in Toronto say that while there is no official area named Begumpara, there are indeed clusters of Bangladeshis living in affluent districts whose property values far exceed their known sources of income. Many of these assets were not purchased directly from Bangladesh. Instead, funds were routed through third countries such as Singapore, the UAE, or the United States before arriving in Canada.
Investigations found that several high-profile officials, including former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, channelled illicit funds abroad under the guise of study leave or family migration. Similar schemes were used by others who sent their spouses or children ahead as permanent residents before transferring laundered money in their names.
Large-scale migration to Canada under the investor category began around 2007–2008, coinciding with the anti-corruption drive of the military-backed caretaker government. The Canadian government eventually abolished this visa scheme in 2014 due to tax evasion by these so-called investors.
Today, in Toronto, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, and Markham, Bangladesh’s corrupt elite own multimillion-dollar homes—symbols of plundered national wealth hidden under the polite label of “Begumpara.”
Bd-pratidin English/TR
