Yunus leaves London for Dhaka after four-day official visit

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has left London for Dhaka, wrapping up a four-day official visit that included meetings with Kins Charles, British officials, lawmakers, and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

He boarded a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Heathrow Airport at 7:20pm local time on Friday, according to his office.

On the final day of the visit, the interim prime minister held a lengthy meeting with Tarique, followed by a scheduled meeting with Lesley Craig, head of South Asia at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

In a joint statement after the meeting with the BNP leader, the two sides said discussions were held in a “cordial environment”.

Yunus reportedly responded positively to Tarique’s proposal to move Bangladesh’s next general election forward to just before Ramadan in 2026, instead of April.

He, however, noted this would depend on adequate progress in reforms and trials.

At a press conference on Thursday, Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said asset recovery was the “top priority” during the UK tour.

On Thursday, Yunus accepted the King Charles III Harmony Award 2025 in recognition of his lifelong work for human welfare.

He also held a meeting with King Charles before receiving the honour.

The chief advisor also held talks with the speaker of the UK House of Commons and several high-level officials.

The Chief Advisor’s Office (CAO) said one of the major outcomes of the visit was the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) freezing 320 properties linked to Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed, a former land minister and close associate of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The NCA described it as the “largest” single seizure of its kind in the agency’s history.

According to the CAO, the move is seen as a “stern warning” to corrupt politicians, businessmen, and officials--and a key milestone in the interim government's global asset recovery efforts.

In addition, Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur and Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Mohammad Momen joined several “fruitful” meetings with British ministers, MPs, and officials.

The CAO hopes these discussions will pave the way for deeper international cooperation on asset recovery.