A Dhaka court on Thursday, July 2, 2026, deferred, for the 96th time, the submission of the investigation report on the 2016 Bangladesh Bank reserve heist case, fixing August 9, 2026 as the next date.
The report was due before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) failed to submit its findings. The court subsequently set August 9 for filing the report, prosecution official SI Ruknuzzaman said.
The case stems from the theft of US$81 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on February 5, 2016, through fraudulent SWIFT transfer instructions. The stolen funds were routed to the Philippines, where investigators suspected they were laundered with the assistance of a local network.
On March 15, 2016, Bangladesh Bank Joint Director of the Accounts and Budgeting Department, Zubayer Bin Huda, filed a case with Motijheel Police Station under Money Laundering Prevention Act. No individual was named as an accused in the case.
CID has been investigating the high-profile cyber heist for nearly a decade but has yet to submit its investigation report.
Of the stolen money, US$15 million was recovered by Philippine authorities from the owner of a casino and returned to Bangladesh. The remaining US$66.4 million has not yet been recovered.
In 2019, Bangladesh Bank filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York seeking to recover the stolen funds. In April 2022, the court dismissed the case against the Philippines bank, ruling that it lacked jurisdiction.
Bangladesh Bank later said it had filed a fresh lawsuit in a New York court with appropriate jurisdiction in an effort to recover the remaining funds.
MAL/IF
