The tale of corruption lacks any factual grounding

To illustrate the extent of corruption during the Awami League government, the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, stated some time ago that Tk 400 crore had been remitted abroad as tuition fees for just one student’s semester. The statement was so implausible and absurd that I chose to ignore it. But when Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus repeated the claim in his Eid message to the nation, I began to question my own knowledge and experience. Initially, I dismissed the Press Secretary’s claim as unbelievable, but hearing it again from the Chief Adviser made me reconsider—after all, someone in his position would not knowingly mislead the nation.

The Press Secretary revealed this information at a taskforce meeting aimed at recovering illicitly transferred funds. The Chief Adviser was also present at that meeting. Reportedly, the data was sourced from statistics collected by the National Board of Revenue (NBR), which had compiled figures on funds sent abroad through official banking channels for students studying overseas. The NBR Chairman provided this information, which suggests a degree of credibility, reinforced by the fact that both the Press Secretary and Chief Adviser repeated it. While I remain skeptical, the public has considerable faith in the knowledge and integrity of all three individuals involved. Caught between belief and reality, I now present these reflections to readers, hoping to make sense of the situation.

Notably, none of the three government officials mentioned any names related to the case. The Press Secretary explained that, for the sake of the investigation, names could not be disclosed. However, it’s perplexing that verifying the authenticity of this information has taken so long. What’s the delay?

I worked at Bangladesh Bank from March 1981 to 2014, but I never directly dealt with remittances for overseas students, as the central bank delegated this task to commercial banks. Since I didn’t work in the inspection department, I didn’t have much exposure to how these transactions were monitored. In researching this article, I had to study the procedures afresh. Anyone can gather this information from the foreign exchange branches of commercial banks—it’s no secret.

Students who study abroad are generally academically gifted. They must clear standardized tests like IELTS, GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL, and must have strong academic records in SSC, HSC, or undergraduate programs to gain admission to reputed institutions. Even with good results, admission is not guaranteed.

Once accepted, universities issue a Confirmation of Acceptance Letter or Confirmation of Enrolment, which states the tuition fee per semester or course. It’s quite straightforward to estimate the total cost of completing an undergraduate or master’s program. Tuition fees generally range between USD 6,000 and USD 15,000 per semester depending on the university. Lesser-known institutions may charge even less.

In some American universities, fees can exceed USD 20,000 per semester—but never USD 33.6 million (equivalent to Tk 400 crore). A student can enroll in at most four semesters a year. In countries like Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Austria, and the Czech Republic, public universities often charge no tuition fees or only nominal amounts. Living costs vary by country but rarely exceed USD 2,000 per month. While the spending habits of students from wealthy or corrupt families may vary, our focus here is tuition fees—not living expenses.

Most students, except those from very wealthy families, take up part-time jobs to support themselves. Some even rely on scholarships. After graduation, they often take well-paying jobs and remit foreign currency back to Bangladesh. Tuition and living expenses are sent via bank accounts. Each student must open a “student file” with a scheduled bank’s foreign exchange branch using their admission documents. Tuition is transferred directly to the institution, while living expenses are deposited into the student’s personal account. If an excess amount is sent, the university returns the surplus to the remitter’s account in Bangladesh, not to the student.

There is simply no scenario in which a single semester’s tuition fee could amount to Tk 400 crore (USD 33.6 million). The government claims this amount was laundered under the guise of tuition fees. If true, the funds would have gone to a college or university, which makes it a fee—even if an absurd one—not laundered money. It would only count as laundering if the university was owned by the student or their family. Normally, banks only remit fees upon receiving official invoices from educational institutions.

So the real question is: if such a huge fee doesn’t exist anywhere in the world, how did a bank transfer that money without verification? Surely, this transaction would have been flagged in reports to Bangladesh Bank, or during routine inspections. Bangladesh Bank constantly monitors the activities of scheduled banks through off-site and on-site supervision. It’s highly unlikely such an unusual remittance would escape notice.

The Chief Adviser also cited the recently released White Paper on corruption, which claims that USD 234 billion was laundered over the past 15 years. Similarly, the current Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Ahsan H. Mansur, stated that USD 17 billion was laundered from the banking sector alone. However, these are speculative estimates. One cannot establish facts based on assumptions or conjecture. Even the White Paper admits that its stories of corruption are unsupported by evidence, making them nothing more than imaginative conjecture.

Interestingly, the same White Paper praises the tremendous development Bangladesh achieved under the Awami League government, noting that the country has met all criteria for graduation from the list of least developed countries. This implies that despite corruption, the Awami League era witnessed significant economic progress. Corruption, of course, exists under every administration. During the BNP government’s tenure, Bangladesh was labeled the most corrupt nation multiple times. Corruption also occurred under the caretaker government.

The truth is that corruption cases are rarely prosecuted when a party is in power. Prosecutions occur only when a party is ousted. Even then, there’s often no consequence—because once back in power, all charges are dropped. This isn’t due to any manipulation by the corrupt; it’s the legal system that declares them innocent again. And the public, too, seems forgiving—voting the same people back into power and refusing to view their own party leaders as corrupt.

There seems to be a gap in the information provided by the Press Secretary or the Chief Adviser regarding the highly improbable remittance of Tk 400 crore for tuition. An investigation is ongoing, and we all await the truth. But until the facts are established, the aggressive and unverifiable propaganda surrounding this claim reminds us of authoritarian regimes’ tactics to suppress truth. Such actions are eroding public trust in the caretaker government.

Zeauddin Ahmed: Former Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank