Dhaka, Aug. 21 -- The government has launched a coordinated effort to recover assets worth nearly Tk 400 billion siphoned abroad, officials confirmed on Thursday.

Prime Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said that teams comprising Bangladesh Bank, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the National Board of Revenue (NBR), and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are working together on the recovery process.

"This is a very extensive task and it may take several years to bring back the entire amount," he noted at a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

According to information provided to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus by Ahsan Habib, Director General of the NBR's Central Intelligence Cell (CIC), the asset...