New US visa policy to curb money laundering: Momen

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that the new visa policy of the United States may help reduce the trend of syphoning off money to the US.

"Usually the affluent class like government employees, politicians and businessmen seek US visas. And among those, who can afford foreign education for their kids and own assets abroad, are also the ones who are behind laundering money," Momen told newsmen after a book unveiling event on Saturday in the capital.

"These people launder money from the country to invest in foreign assets," he said at the International Mother Language Institute, which hosted the event to unveil the book – 50 Years of Bangladesh: Advances in Health.

"Imposing restrictions on such people will save the country from losing money," quipped the foreign minister.

While there is no official data on the amount of money laundered every year, US-based think-tank Global Financial Integrity data says Bangladesh lost a whopping $49.65 billion between 2009 and 2015 (except 2014), mainly to trade misinvoicing and under-invoicing.

Foreign Minister Momen also refuted the notion that the government might have been embarrassed over the new visa policy and said, "Issuing visas is within their [US] jurisdiction, it is not our concern."  

Earlier on Wednesday the United States said it would restrict visas to Bangladeshis who undermine democratic elections, in a pre-emptive warning apparently fearing turmoil in the upcoming general election, expected in early January next year.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a statement, said that the policy would enable the US "to restrict the issuance of visas to any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh".

Responding to a query on whether special security protocols for Indian and Saudi ambassadors were returned, Momen responded saying that there is no lack of security in the country.

"No ambassador has yet applied for additional security," said the country's top diplomat, adding that there are no apparent security threats for the diplomats.

In response to another question, Momen said, "I saw in a BBC news report revealing that some 70 lakh people in America do not get medical care. It is said that the death ratio among the blacks is higher as they do not get those services."

The foreign minister went on to say, "We may very well think of exporting medicines to the US. Medicine sales will boost on one hand and everyone there will get medicines at cheap prices."

The book launching event was organised by the Bangladesh Health Watch, a platform comprising concerned citizens and experts with a vision of facilitating universal health coverage for all Bangladeshis

Alexandra Berg von Linde, ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh, Kazi Faisal Bin Seraj, country representative of The Asia Foundation attended the event as special guests.

Dr Henry Perry, senior associate, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Maryland, USA was the keynote speaker at the event while Dr Ahmed Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury, founder of Bangladesh Health Watch delivered the welcome speech.