DHAKA, June 2: The World Bank said on Saturday it is ready to help Bangladesh’s military-backed government bring back stolen money allegedly siphoned off by politicians and businessmen during the previous governments.

“The stolen assets must be recovered and the World Bank stands ready to provide assistance in this regard,” World Bank Vice-president Praful Patel told reporters in the Bangladesh capital.

“We have experience globally in similar situations where large amount of public resources have been moved out of the country and the governments have asked us for help ... so that the stolen assets of a country are brought back,” he said.

Patel’s statement came amid reports that the country’s military has helped the government bring back more than three billion taka ($43 million) siphoned off by the country’s politicians and politically-linked businessmen.

Powerful military chief General Moeen U Ahmed told journalists last week that stolen money worth another 8.20 billion taka had been identified and would be brought back soon.

The military chief did not say who stole the money and when it was stolen.

The military was seen orchestrating events that led the country’s president to declare a state of emergency and cancel polls in January.—AFP