British high commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke on Tuesday said that the United Kingdom was closely working with Bangladesh for recovery of assets acquired by Bangladeshi individuals using funds misappropriated at home in the past.

‘We are committed to working closely with Bangladesh,’ the envoy said, responding to a question about the recovery of stolen money from Bangladeshis in the UK, at the DCAB Talk organised by the  Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh at the National Press Club in the Dhaka city.

Sarah said that they were working together on ‘constructive economic reforms’ and meetings were happening regularly at the technical level to support Bangladesh’s efforts to strengthen economic governance and tackle illicit finance.

She, however, refrained from making any comment about the return of those linked to the ousted Awami League regime and are staying in the UK.

Since June 2025, the UK has frozen over £250 million in assets in the UK linked to Bangladeshi individuals, underlining their determination to uphold the rule of law and the integrity of the international financial system, according to the British envoy.

‘The United Kingdom will also host an Illicit Finance Summit in London this June,’ said the high commissioner, adding that the summit would bring together international partners to strengthen cooperation, share expertise and advance collective action against illicit finance.

She said that they expected the finance minister of Bangladesh would join this important gathering in London.

Touching upon the ongoing conflict across the Arab Gulf states, she said that not only Bangladesh, the countries in the West were also being affected in the situation prevailing along the Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for energy supplies to both Asia and Europe.

Asked how the United Kingdom could help resolve the crisis, Sarah said that the UK was working heavily from behind the scene for a diplomatic solution.

The United States and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran on February 28 and Tehran retaliated, plunging the energy-producing region into a fresh conflict.

In her written speech, she, however, said that they had joint efforts to support Bangladesh’s long-term prosperity in the wake of its challenges for climate change.

She said that they were working together to strengthen preparedness as Bangladesh was one of the climate vulnerable countries.

She said that the UK was also supporting to modernise Bangladesh’s military.

The envoy said that they were also working together with the authorities here to tackle illegal migration from Bangladesh.

‘The UK is working closely with the government of Bangladesh to tackle visa abuse and visa fraud, and to return those who have no right to reside in the UK,’ she said.

She said that they wanted to ensure that movement between the two countries was safe, legal and fair.

DCAB president AKM Moinuddin and general secretary Emrul Kayesh also spoke at the event.

In February this year, a Bangladeshi court ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission to seize 518 properties in the United Kingdom owned by former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, following allegations of corruption.

The total value of the properties is estimated at £271.85 million.

Earlier, in May 2025, the UK’s National Crime Agency frozen nearly £90 million worth of luxury London property owned by two individuals linked to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to the British daily, The Guardian.

The NCA secured nine property freezing orders against Salman F Rahman’s son Ahmed Shayan Fazlur Rahman and Shayan’s cousin, Ahmed Shahryar Rahman, said a report of The Guardian, citing official records in the past year.

The properties held through offshore entities based in the British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man and Jersey, were purchased for sums ranging between £1.2 million and £35.5 million, reports the British daily, citing Companies House records.

A joint investigation by The Guardian and Transparency International in 2024 found that Hasina’s allies owned UK properties worth £400 million.

The Guardian in another report in June 2025 also stated that Britain’s serious crime agency had frozen UK property worth £170m belonging to the former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.