Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed has been given a final deadline of June 23 to appear before the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for questioning regarding allegations of amassing illegal wealth, according to ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan. Failure to comply by this date will result in legal action, Khan stated to reporters at the Supreme Court on June 20.
Benazir Ahmed was initially scheduled to appear before the ACC on June 6. However, the deadline was extended to June 23 following a request from his lawyer, who sought an additional 15 days to respond to the summons.
Khurshid Alam emphasized that investigations into the former IGP and his family’s substantial assets, which exceed their known income, are advancing swiftly. Evidence of additional illegal assets has been uncovered, and the ACC intends to petition the court to confiscate these assets soon.
The ACC’s investigation has revealed significant assets in Benazir Ahmed’s name and those of his family members. Amid this probe, Benazir and his family left the country on May 4. Benazir served as IGP from April 2020 to September 2022 and was the Director General of RAB from January 2015 to April 2020. He also held the position of Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for an extended period.
ACC prosecutors have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. The court has ordered the seizure of assets discovered so far. Recently, the ACC identified eight more flats in Dhaka linked to Benazir Ahmed and his family: six in Adabor and two commercial spaces in a 14-story building in Badda named Rupayan Limited Square.
In total, 12 flats have been found under Benazir Ahmed’s family’s name, including four previously discovered in Gulshan. Senior Special Judge of Dhaka Metropolitan, Mohammad Assams Zagul Hossain, has ordered the seizure of the eight newly identified flats, approximately 76 bighas (25 acres) of land, and shares in private Citizen Television and Tiger Craft Apparels Limited.
Previously, the court had ordered the seizure of 621 bighas of land in Gopalganj, Madaripur, Cox’s Bazar, and Savar in Dhaka, shares in 19 companies, and four flats in Gulshan. Additionally, the court froze Tk 3 million in savings certificates, 33 bank accounts, and three BO accounts (beneficiary owner’s accounts for share trading). In total, 697 bighas of land have been found in the name of Benazir Ahmed’s family.
