Wednesday, September 8, 2010Business
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=154104
The government intends to file cases under Anti Money Laundering Act against anyone who manipulates the stockmarket or who trades on insider information, according to a working paper prepared by the finance ministry.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith may finalise the changes at today's meeting he will chair.
The changes would help the government conform to the 2009 money-laundering law, which requires it to strengthen its investigation and discipline of the capital markets to keep them fair for all investors.
The initiative would include manipulation and insider trading under the list of crimes covered in the anti money-laundering act.
The working paper for the meeting describes manipulation -- trying to control the market for personal interest -- and insider trading profiting from market trades based on information about a publicly listed company from its staff -- before it is made public.
Under the revised money-laundering act, bankers, stockbrokers, portfolio managers, securities custodians, fund managers, NGOs and non-profit organisations would have to regularly update Bangladesh Bank on all suspicious transactions.
The Financial Action Taskforce (FAT), an organisation which monitors money laundering globally, suggested the move in 2009. The FAT told Bangladesh to set a plan by October to meet international standards.
The government will fix a date to update the law in the meeting.