Confiscate all assets of ex-IGP Benazir
A Dhaka court yesterday ordered the authorities concerned to confiscate all assets of former IGP Benazir Ahmed in connection with alleged corruption.
Judge Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court of Dhaka passed the order after ACC Deputy Director Md Hafizul Islam, also the enquiry officer, submitted an application to the court in this regard, said a court staffer.
Court sources said Benazir's 33 bank accounts will be frozen and the properties stated in 83 deeds will be confiscated.
ACC Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir, who filed the application, could not be reached for comments.
ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star, "As part of an investigation, the Anti-Corruption Commission today [yesterday] filed a petition with the court, seeking an order to confiscate the movable and immovable properties of Benazir Ahmed and his family members. The court granted the application."
In the prayer, the ACC official said the properties can be handed over and the money can be laundered if those were not confiscated.
On April 18, the graft watchdog decided to launch an enquiry into the allegations of amassing illegal wealth by the former inspector general of police.
The ACC also formed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations, ACC Secretary Khorsheda Yasmin told reporters at a press briefing at its headquarters on April 22.
"A national daily ran a report on March 31 on Benazir Ahmed's illegal wealth. Later, reports on similar allegations were published by some other media outlets," said Khorsheda.
Bangla daily Kaler Kantho recently published a two-part investigative report on the acquisition of substantial property by Benazir and his family.
The first report was published on March 31 under the headline "Aladdin's Lamp in Benazir's House."
According to the report, the former police chief's family owns an eco-resort on around 1,400 bighas and has bought another 800 bighas of land next to that resort. They also own 200,000 shares in five-star hotels.
Additionally, his family owns a 3,500-square-foot flat in the capital's Bashundhara residential area, and all these properties were purchased with illegal money, the report said.
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