By Asif Showkat Kallol (Dhaka Bureau)
A decade has passed since the orchestration of the 2016 Bangladesh Bank reserve theft, one of the world’s most sensational cyber-enabled financial crimes. Ten years after the incident, an explosive interview by a top technology expert involved in the initial investigation has renewed international intrigue. Cyber security specialist Tanvir Hasan Zoha, who served as an external technical adviser to law enforcement agencies, has alleged that crucial evidence was covered up and that he faced immense pressure to steer the investigation toward a predetermined conclusion.
Simultaneously, following a decade-long investigation, Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is finalizing preparations to file formal charges in court against 64 local and foreign suspects, including former central bank governor Dr. Atiur Rahman.
Mishandled Evidence and Allegations of a Predetermined Narrative
In a lengthy broadcast interview with an international news channel this week, Tanvir Hasan Zoha stated that from the very beginning, there was a calculated effort to frame the incident solely as a ‘foreign hacking attack,’ a narrative that heavily contradicted the actual evidence on the ground.
According to Zoha’s account, vital pieces of evidence critical to the investigation mysteriously vanished or were withheld:
* Missing CCTV Footage: Crucial surveillance camera footage from the time of the theft and original system records were never provided...
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