‘Student activists’ and advisers to the interim government of Bangladesh, led by controversial Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, are hoarding large sums of unaccounted money in the form of cryptocurrencies. The revelations were first made by ‘The AsiaPost News’ in a report published on 25th February this year.
The development came days after the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cancelled a $29 million USAID project to strengthen the ‘political landscape in Bangladesh.’
‘The AsiaPost News’ shared screenshots, obtained from their sources, which show people close to the Yunus regime amassing millions of dollars in wealth. The unaccounted money is being stored in the online cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.
The interim government in Bangladesh came to power only 7 months ago and yet the ‘student activists’ and ‘advisors’ have been able to enrich themselves in such a short span of time.
“These revelations further fuel concerns that the very individuals who once claimed to stand for justice and democracy may now be engaging in unchecked corruption, all while Bangladesh faces one of the most challenging periods in its history.These evidences could expose one of the most significant corruption scandals in Bangladesh’s history,” stated The AsiaPost News.
It further inquired, “As the nation struggles for survival, the question remains: will justice prevail, or will those in power continue to exploit the people they once vowed to protect?“
During its investigation, The AsiaPost News found that ‘student activist’ Sarjis Alam has accumulated a massive $7.76 million. This is despite no known source of income or a position with the interim government of Bangladesh.
Alam had repeatedly threatened India and demanded the handover of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Owing to his anti-Indian rhetoric, the Islamist was made the chief organiser of the Jatiyo Nagorik Committee. He issued veiled threats to PM Modi on Vijay Diwas (16th December 2024).
According to ‘The AsiaPost News’, Nahid Islam (who previously served as the information adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh) also had 204.64 Bitcoin in his Binance account. It roughly translates to $19 million.
Coincidentally, Nahid Islam tendered his resignation around the time of publication of the report and later joined the newly formed ‘Jatiya Nagorik Party (National Citizen Party).
Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, the Youth and Sports Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, had also amassed 113 Bitcoin which is equivalent to $12 million.
According to ‘The AsiaPost News’, the Binance account of ‘student activist’ Khan Talat Mahmud Rafy shows that he has 11.09 Bitcoins. Despite having no position in the interim government, he enjoys full state protocol.
Even the press Secretary to the interim government of Bangladesh, Shafiqul Alam has accumulated $10 million worth of cryptocurrencies in his Binance account.
With no known sources of income that could justify such wealth, it becomes increasingly clear that the funds have been received through illegal means from external sources.
While the regime of Muhammad Yunus came to serve the people, it quickly filled the coffers of its officials and ‘student activists’ who orchestrated the undemocratic ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
When Muhammad Yunus was convicted of violating labour laws
The track record of Yunus is not bright either. In January 2024, a labour court in Dhaka found him guilty of violating the labour laws of Bangladesh. He was convicted, sentenced to 6 months of simple imprisonment and fined Tk 30000 (~$260).
Yunus and three other directors at ‘Grameen Telecom’ violated labour laws by failing to create a welfare fund for the workers in the company.
The labour court Judge, Sheikh Merina Sultana, noted that 67 Grameen Telecom employees were supposed to be made permanent in the company which did not happen.
As per the company’s stated policy, it is supposed to share 5% of the dividends with the staff, which failed to materialise. Muhammad Yunus is currently facing 100 other charges for graft and labour law violations in Bangladesh.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner founded Grameen Bank in 1983 to lend small loans to the poor. He was earlier fired as Managing Director of his bank for violating retirement regulations of the Bangladeshi government.
Yunus was also on trial for receiving money in 2013 for receiving money without government permission. He was infamously called a ‘bloodsucker’ by Sheikh Hasina for giving out loans to the poor at extremely high interest rates.
Attempts to discredit report by ‘The AsiaPost News’ as fake
Two days after the publication of the exclusive investigative report, a propaganda portal masquerading as ‘fact-checking’ website called ‘Rumour Scanner’ wrote an article decrying the revelations made against the govt officials and ‘student activists’ close to the Yunus regime.
It alleged that the screenshots are ‘manipulated using digital editing techniques’ and are being disseminated ‘based on an unreliable source’.
OpIndia spoke to renowned Bangladeshi journalist Salahuddin Shoaib Choudhury, who promptly pointed out that the ‘Rumour Scanner’ is being run from the Office of the Press Secretary to the interim government of Bangladesh.
🎯 So-called Press Wing of Islamofascist Muhammad Yunus comprises band of Goebbels and culprits are are continuously attempting to bully any critical post against Yunus or his gang of Islamists and jihadists. For example, this Press Wing got it's statement condemning @DNIGabbard… pic.twitter.com/q7xnLu0iaa
— Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury (@salah_shoaib) March 23, 2025
The same Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has been exposed by ‘The Asia Post News.’ As such, Rumour Scanner did not spare any time to brand its report as ‘fake news.’
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury further directed us to 2 of his articles (here and here) where Shafiqul Alam had resorted to Joseph Goebbels-like propaganda to label news stories, critical of Yunus regime, as ‘fake.’
It has been a month since the ‘The Asia Post News’ published its critical story, exposing the corruption at the top level of the interim government. Despite this, no investigation has been initiated into the matter. Instead, an all-out effort has been made to bury the story.
