Bangladesh Is a World Champion in Fraud: Dr. Yunus

Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has commented that Bangladesh is a world champion in fraud. He said, “All our things are fake. Many countries do not accept our passports. Visas are fake, passports are fake. We have turned this into a factory of forgery.”

He made these remarks on Wednesday (January 28) at the inauguration of the Digital Device and Innovation Expo-2026 and the unveiling of the website and logo of the ‘Bangladesh Innovation Challenge’ at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center (BCFCC) in the capital.

The Chief Adviser said, “Many countries do not accept our passports. Visas are fake, passports are fake. You must have seen in the newspapers—fake American visas. We have turned this into a factory of forgery. We do have intelligence; otherwise, we could not commit fraud. But we are using it for bad purposes. Those who know how to commit fraud possess a lot of creativity.”

Sharing his experience, he said, “I was speaking with a minister of a Middle Eastern country. For a long time, they have not been giving us entry. Not only laborers—even no Bangladeshi person is allowed to enter. Not just one or two countries—there is a long list of countries where we have no entry access. The minister I spoke to said, ‘Look, you are a friend, I will explain the whole matter to you.’ I said, explain it. He said, ‘I personally went to see why Bangladeshis are being rejected.’ Then he showed documents of various people—educational certificates are forged. One woman came with a doctor’s certificate, but her certificate was fake. If she were allowed to enter, she would work as a domestic worker, but she came carrying a doctor’s certificate.’”

He further said, “What will happen? This technology will be used for fraud if we do not correct ourselves beforehand, if we do not cut these problems at the root. Thousands upon thousands of people everything is fake. Permissions are fake, bank certificates are fake. And we are issuing these documents from where they are supposed to be issued. Therefore, if we want to move forward with technology, we must come with honesty. This country will not be a factory of forgery. We do not want that. We want to stand tall across the world on our own merit. Today, at this technology gathering, we set our minds in that direction—that we will free ourselves from fraud. We will create opportunities for young people to become entrepreneurs. We will build a people-friendly government. That is how we must proceed.”

Earlier, highlighting the importance of technology and recalling the mass uprising, the Chief Adviser said that when the internet was shut down, the youth of the entire country became furious like boiling oil. The reason, he said, is that the internet is a vital part of life. Due to the shutdown of the internet, a powerful ruling government fell.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus said, “The mass uprising of ’24 has opened many doors of possibility before us, led by the youth. These young people will lead the new Bangladesh—not only Bangladesh, they will lead the entire world.”