Bangladesh Bank has taken a policy decision to eliminate all personal lockers from its premises, Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur confirmed in an exclusive interview with Amar Desh on July 30.
“Personal lockers in the central bank have sparked considerable controversy,” said Dr. Mansur. “We have therefore decided that such lockers will no longer be permitted within Bangladesh Bank.”
However, he noted that legal complications are delaying immediate implementation. “Some lockers have been frozen by anti-corruption authorities. Until those legal restrictions are lifted, we cannot proceed with removing their contents. But once the freeze is lifted, all remaining lockers will be permanently closed.”
Dr. Mansur emphasized that personal lockers should only be available through private banks, a practice that aligns with international norms.
The move follows an incident earlier this year. On February 2, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) requested that the Governor take steps to freeze assets stored in Bangladesh Bank’s vaults. This came after a January 26 raid—conducted under court order and with a magistrate present—on the safe deposit box of former Deputy Governor Sitangshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury. The ACC recovered €55,000, $169,300, over 1 kilogram of gold, and fixed deposits worth Tk 7 million.
The ACC’s letter also revealed that other Bangladesh Bank officials had stored sealed containers in the vault, suspected to contain undeclared wealth. Investigations into allegations of money laundering and corruption are ongoing.
Due to the ongoing freeze, the central bank has not yet been able to fully implement the new policy. Still, Governor Mansur reaffirmed that Bangladesh Bank remains firm in its decision to phase out personal lockers permanently.