Bangladesh seeks no specific info on deposits in Swiss banks: Ambassador
There are allegations that most of the money parked by Bangladeshis in the banks of Switzerland is amassed illegally. But the Bangladesh government is yet to seek any specific information from the Swiss banks or relevant authorities regarding the deposits.
Nathalie Chuard, Swiss ambassador in Dhaka, came up with the disclosure at a discussion arranged by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the national press club on Wednesday.
Quoting the annual report of Swiss National Bank (SNB) for 2022, ambassador Nathalie Chuard said Bangladesh nationals deposited approximately Tk 30 billion in different banks of Switzerland last year.
The deposits of Bangladeshis in the Swiss banks reached an all-time high of Tk 83.33 billion in December, 2021.
The Swiss ambassador also disclosed that they briefed the Bangladesh government about the way of availing information on the deposits in the Swiss banks, but they received no query in this regard.
“We are committed to maintaining the international standard. Such information sharing is possible and must be done based on the consent of both sides. We are working with Bangladesh on the issue,” she told the discussion.
Ambassador Nathalie Chuard noted that the Swiss banks contribute around 10 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
However, she ruled out the speculations that the Swiss banks are the safest place to preserve illegal money.
“Our banks are not safe places to keep illegal money. The Swiss banks have carried out various reforms in the global financial sector and created a new and better standard,” she said, adding that it is not right that the Swiss banks allure to deposit illegal money.
The Swiss National Bank provides data on annual deposits made by Bangladesh nationals in the banks of Switzerland. But it is quite impossible to say whether the money was earned illegally, explained the ambassador.
She also said the bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Switzerland geared up in the last decade and the trade volume stood at US$1 billion. There are many Swiss companies operating in Bangladesh and both the countries are in efforts to strengthen the trade relations further.
About the Rohingya crisis, Nathalie Chuard said her country is working to resolve the Rohingya problems and providing humanitarian aid.
“We want to solve this problem. The necessary conducive environment is yet to be created in Rakhine. We all are trying to ensure that,” she said.
The discussion was moderated by DCAB president Rezaul Karim while its general secretary AKM Moinuddin delivered the welcome speech.