Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) has been elected as Regional Representative of Asia and the Pacific Regional Group of the Egmont Group.
The BFIU will serve as the Regional Representative of this region from January, 2015 to June, 2017. Nasiruzzaman, General Manager and Operational Head of BFIU will act as Regional Representative on behalf of the BFIU, a BB announcement said in Dhaka on Sunday.
FIUs of several countries met together in Brussels in 1995 to form Egmont Group of FIUs for coordination, cooperation and facilitation of different national and international initiative to tackle money laundering and countering terrorist financing. Currently FIUs of 147 countries are member of Egmont Group. Bangladesh got the membership of Egmont Group on 3rd July, 2013.
As the representative of Asia and the Pacific Regional Group, Mr Nasiruzzaman will lead this region in different meetings of Egmont Group.
As the regional representative he will be a main coordinator among FIUs of this region, Egmont Committee, Egmont Group Secretariat and Working Groups. It added.
Besides, the BB official will play important role for ensuring the compliance of duties and responsibilities mentioned in Egmont Group Charter by FIUs of this region, settlement of any disagreement or complain among member FIUs of this region and enhancement of the capacity of member FIUs to prevent money laundering and countering terrorist financing.
However, Egmont Committee (EC) and Working Group (WG) Meetings and Regional Meetings and Heads of FIU and Observers Intercessional Meetings are held in Berlin of Germany on January 25-30.
New regional representatives of eight regions of Egmont Group were elected at the meeting, the BB said.
Being a regional representative of 25 countries within one and half years of Egmont Group membership BFIU will surely increase the status of Bangladesh in international forums.
BBN/SSR/AD-01Feb15-11:00 pm (BST)