Foreign adviser calls 15-year capital flight ‘bank robbery in broad daylight’

Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain on Saturday described the massive capital flight from Bangladesh over the past 15 years as 'bank robbery in broad daylight'.

Speaking as the chief guest at the SAFA International Conference 2026, he highlighted that a significant portion of wealth had been siphoned off through accounting manipulation. “But a significant part was also the result of manipulation of accounting,” he said.

Mr Hossain urged accountants to collaborate and prevent such practices in the future. “With so many top accountants of the country before me, I urge your collaboration so this doesn’t happen again and we can return to a different path,” he added.

The conference was organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB). Held at Le Meridien, Dhaka, it focused on the theme “Next Generation Profession: Converging Ethical AI and Sustainability Reporting.”

About 500 experts from home and abroad attended the event. IFAC President Jean Bouquot and SAFA President Mohammed Humayun Kabir also spoke.

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