Chattogram, April 11 -- Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Ahsan H Mansur on Friday said recovering money laundered abroad is a complex process and may take up to a year, even though the government has made it a top priority to trace and seize assets siphoned abroad.

Speaking at a views-exchange meeting with the media on "Anti-Money Laundering Measures and Contemporary Banking Issues" at the central bank's Chattogram office, he alleged that several families siphoned off between Tk 2.5 lakh crore and Tk 3 lakh crore over the past 15 years, during the tenure of the previous government.

"The government has set a target to seize these assets within the next six months to a year. Foreign investigative agencies and law enforcement are already w...