A “personal conspiratorial video” of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) Chief AFM Shahinul Islam has been circulated on social media. On Monday (August 18), after the video was released, discussions began in Bangladesh Bank as well as in various other circles. Mixed reactions were observed among officials regarding the matter.
Reacting to the issue, AFM Shahinul Islam said:
“Can a person like me do such a thing? This is fake and a deep conspiracy against me. From the very beginning, a certain group has been after me.”
He further claimed that since his activities had affected the interests of several big groups and certain individuals, they took official meeting-related videos of him and, by digitally attaching his face to them, produced an indecent and immoral video which was then spread across social media.
“You all know that after the fall of the fascist government, I was given the responsibility of preventing money laundering and recovering laundered funds. While carrying out this duty, I have turned into an enemy of many. This is a massive task. To bring back the people’s money to the country, I had to file cases against many and freeze billions of taka. Every day while doing this work, I continue to make enemies. To defeat me, these money-laundering circles have taken up different strategies.
You also know that nowadays, by using AI technology, videos can be created by merging faces with other clips to blackmail individuals. Moreover, one group believes that by discrediting me in such a way, they can gain certain advantages. I strongly protest against such misdeeds.”
The matter has already come under the attention of law enforcement agencies, and they are working on it. “Bangladesh Bank is the institution of my heart. I will ensure that no dishonor comes to it. You will be glad to know that work has already begun to catch the real culprits. I urge you not to cause unrest out of overexcitement, as this will damage our reputation and allow the actual offenders to escape.”
When asked about the issue, Bangladesh Bank’s spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said:
“Since the BFIU is an autonomous body, the central bank will not make any comment on this.”
It should be noted that Shahinul Islam took charge as the head of the BFIU on January 12 this year. Previously, he served as the deputy head of the agency and as an Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank.
The BFIU is a specialized unit operated under Bangladesh Bank. The institution works to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
