British lawmakers suspect they have been targeted by a disinformation campaign, aiming to undermine the credibility of the individual spearheading efforts to trace money laundering funds from Bangladesh to the UK. Members of Parliament (MPs) raised concerns after receiving suspicious emails about Ahsan Mansur, who was appointed as Bangladesh’s central bank governor following a student-led overthrow of the authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina. Mansur has been in London seeking assistance from the government and private companies to track down billions in assets allegedly pilfered by Hasina’s allies, some of which may have been used to purchase UK property. His visit has been marred by controversy involving Hasina’s niece, former City minister Tulip Siddiq, who resigned this year amid allegations of financial misconduct.

The emails, sent to the 47-member all-party parliamentary group on responsible tax and corruption, pointed to articles on the International Policy Digest website that questioned Mansur’s integrity and the lack of investigation into his daughter’s apparent displays of wealth. The supposed authors of these articles have no profiles as journalists, and their images were found to be stock photos. Mansur, a former IMF official, believes individuals under investigation for money laundering are behind the campaign to ‘diminish my reputation.’ He denied making any comments about Siddiq, who is at the center of an investigation over a 2013 deal with Russia suspected of price inflation.

An MP, Rupa Huq, received a related email from a UK public relations firm, Palatine Communications, suggesting that if Mansur impugns Siddiq’s integrity, he and his family should face scrutiny. Mansur has never commented on Siddiq, but he is a key figure in a transitional government investigating a significant corruption scandal. MPs have referred these incidentsto parliamentary cybersecurity advisors and the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, which is currently investigating disinformation activities. Phil Brickell, an APPG member, expressed concern over the potential to mislead UK politicians regarding serious corruption and urged a thorough investigation to understand the sources and motives behind such interference.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/24/mps-think-they-may-have-been-targets-of-disinformation-over-bangladesh-inquiry