BB Reserve Heist Probe Report Delayed for 96th Time

A Dhaka court on Thursday deferred, for the 96th time, the submission of the investigation report in the 2016 Bangladesh Bank reserve heist case and set August 9, 2026, as the next date for filing.

The report was scheduled to be submitted before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam.

However, the Criminal Investigation Department failed to submit the report within the deadline.

Following the delay, the court fixed August 9 for submission of the report, prosecution official SI Ruknuzzaman said.

The case relates to the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on February 5, 2016, through fraudulent SWIFT transfer instructions.

The stolen funds were transferred to the Philippines, where investigators suspect they were laundered with the help of a local network.

On March 15, 2016, Bangladesh Bank Joint Director of the Accounts and Budgeting Department, Zubayer Bin Huda, filed a case with Motijheel Police Station under the Money Laundering Prevention Act. No individual was named as an accused in the case.

The CID has been investigating the high-profile cyber heist for nearly a decade but has yet to submit its investigation report.

Of the stolen amount, $15 million was recovered by Philippine authorities from a casino owner and returned to Bangladesh. However, the remaining $66.4 million is still unrecovered.

In 2019, Bangladesh Bank filed a lawsuit in a New York court seeking to recover the stolen funds. In April 2022, a court in New York dismissed the case against a Philippine bank, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

Bangladesh Bank later said it had filed a fresh lawsuit in a New York court with appropriate jurisdiction in an effort to recover the remaining funds.