Sangsad Bhaban, April 22 -- Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday told Parliament that the government is attaching top priority to recovering assets siphoned off from Bangladesh.

"As part of a broader strategy to combat corruption, money laundering and financial crimes, the present government is working with the highest priority to recover laundered assets abroad," he said while replying to a starred question from treasury bench member Md Qamruzzaman (Munshiganj-3).

Citing information from a white paper formulation committee formed by the interim government, the Prime Minister said an estimated $234 billion was illicitly transferred out of Bangladesh between 2009 and 2023-an average of $16 billion annually (around Tk 1.8 lakh crore...