The Bangladesh Bank gold scam does not involve the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and it should have refrained from commenting on the issue, says Finance Minister AMA Muhtih.
“The NBR had no reasons for commenting on the gold at Bangladesh Bank vault. It’s the central bank’s matter,” he said on Tuesday.
Speaking to Bangla Tribune after the Deputy Commissioner’s Conference, he said, “The Bangladesh Bank will take the call over the gold.”
Asked whether his ministry will form a panel, Muhith said that there’s no need for it and that the central bank will deal with issue.
“Out of 936 kg, the amount of spurious gold is only 3 kg and that too partially. So, it’s not a big issue,” said the octogenarian minister.
Bangla daily Prothom Alo reported on Jul 17 that the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) found anomalies while inspecting a random sample of gold from the 936kg kept at the central bank’s vault from January to April last year.
CIID kept gold coins and rings weighing 3.3kg in the vault on Aug 23, 2015, but during the inspection, it found adulteration in the gold, according to the report.
It said that 22-carat gold has been shown as 18 carats in records maintained by the Bangladesh Bank.
The same day, Bangladesh Bank, in a media conference, denied of keeping spurious gold in its vault, describing it as a ‘clerical mistake’ and blamed it on the goldsmith.