Dhaka: Hours after his resignation as Bangladesh Bank Governor, Atiur Rahman on Tuesday said he himself stepped down to protect the central bank’s image he built over the last seven years.

‘I resigned on my own like a hero to save the Bangladesh Bank’s image I built over the last seven years,’ he told reporters at a press briefing in his residence at Gulshan in Dhaka.

Earlier in the day, Atiur Rahman quit as Bangladesh Bank Governor amid a huge row over the heist of $101 million from the central bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The Governor’s resignation came following his meeting with the prime minister in her office, according to the PMO’s Press Wing.

Immediately after his resignation, the government decided to appoint ex-finance secretary Fazle Kabir as new governor of the bank.

Claiming himself as a pro-liberation man believing in the ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Atiur said he tendered his repagination to the prime minister as she had appointed him the Governor. ‘She’s shocked as her eyes got watered. Even after that, she’s accepted my resignation.’

He said the prime minister thanked him for playing an outstanding role in keeping the country’s economy stable and keeping Forex reserve at over $28 billion.

Atiur said he ran the central bank with patriotism, conscience and loyalty towards the common people during his tenure. ‘I considered Bangladesh Bank as my child.’

He said when he took over as the central bank governor the reserve was $6.5 billion and he then made it to over $28 billion.

Defending himself for not informing the finance minister about the money heist, he said he took some time since it was like a ‘terrorist attack’ on the country’s banking sector after the ATM fraud. ‘But whatever I did, I did in the interest of the country as I didn’t want the incident to create any panic in the banking sector,’ he added.