Bangladesh, June 30 -- Opposition Leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman on Monday urged the government to accelerate efforts to recover assets allegedly laundered abroad, arguing that repatriating even a fraction of the funds could eliminate the budget deficit in the proposed FY2026-27 budget.

Participating in the general discussion on the proposed national budget in Parliament, Shafiqur said an estimated Tk28 lakh crore had been siphoned out of the country over the past 15 and a half years, but the budget lacked a clear roadmap for recovering those assets.

"Tk28 lakh crore was laundered abroad over the 15 and a half years. But this budget contains neither any guideline nor any proposal on how that money will be brought back.

If we can recover j...