If wealth made thru graft isn't returned to people, what revolution is this: Debapriya

Economist Debapriya Bhattacharya has raised the question as to why the wealth that has been amassed by means of corruption and embezzlement will not be confiscated. If the mountain of wealth built up through corruption is not returned to the people, what revolution is this, he asked.

Debapriya Bhattacharya went on to ask where the wealth had gone. Why had the government not taken over the wealth through legal process? Also, why was the wealth of embezzlers who had defaulted loans, not taken over immediately to adjust their outstanding debts?

There has been talk of such measures, but no visible move. If this can be done, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, then people would be more interested in paying taxes.

Distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and head of the white paper preparation committee, Debapriya Bhattacharya, was speaking at a dialogue organised at the  Economic Reporters Forum (ERF). The discussion on the 'Current Economic Situation and Launching of Open Budget Survey 2023 Results' was jointly organised by the Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) and Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) today, Thursday.

RAPID chairman Abdur Razzak presented the keynote at the event. The survey results were presented by the RAPID executive director Abu Yusuf. Also speaking at the event were joint secretary of the finance ministry Anwarul Kabir and Prothom Alo's head of online, Shawkat Hossain.
Present at the programme also were ERF president Refayet Ullah Mridha and general secretary Abul Kasem.