MPs May Have Been Target of Bangladesh 'Disinformation'

British MPs believe they may have been targeted by a disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the man leading efforts to trace funds allegedly laundered from Bangladesh into the UK.

- Rob Davies

MPs raised the alarm after receiving emails about Dr Ahsan Mansur, who was installed as the central bank governor of Bangladesh last year after a student-led revolution swept away the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina.

Mansur has been in London seeking help from the government and private companies to track down billions of dollars in assets allegedly stolen by allies of the Hasina regime, some of which he believes may have been used to buy UK property.

His visit has already been overshadowed by a row involving Hasina's niece, the former City minister Tulip Siddiq, who resigned from the role in January after Dhaka's anti-corruption commission (ACC) filed a criminal case against her. She has denied all wrongdoing.

Now MPs fear that Britain's efforts to assist Bangladesh could be further clouded by an apparent smear campaign against Mansur involving news articles by fake journalists.