The Anti-Corruption Commission, during its inquiry, found massive movable and immovable wealth, including land, private companies and flats owned by former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, his wife Zeeshan Mirza and other family members.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court on Sunday ordered seizure of assets, including four flats, registered in 119 deeds in the name of Benazir and his family members, to facilitate proper investigation into graft allegations against them.
The court also ordered freezing four BO accounts, and seizure of four companies of Benazir and his family members, and also their shares in 15 more companies, said ACC public prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.
The four flats are located in the capital’s Gulshan area of which two are 2042 square feet each and two others are 2053 square feet each.
Senior special judge Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain passed the orders preventing Benazir and family members from transferring the properties following a petition submitted by ACC deputy director Hafizul Islam.
Earlier on Thursday, the same court ordered to freeze 33 financial accounts, including 27 bank accounts of Benazir and his family members, while it also ordered attaching their properties under 83 deeds in Cox’s Bazar and Gopalganj districts.
‘No money can be withdrawn from these bank accounts of Benazir Ahmed and his wife and children, while none of these assets can be transferred,’ said ACC lawyer Mahmud Hossain, adding that court would control these accounts and assets.
An ACC team led by its deputy director Hafizul Islam is now conducting an inquiry against Benazir Ahmed and his family members on charges of amassing illegal wealth.
The commission has already traced several hundred bigha of land under 202 deeds to the ownership of Benazir Ahmed, his wife, three daughters and several relatives, with his wife Zeeshan Mirza having the largest share.
During the ongoing inquiry, the ACC also found four flats and four companies owned by Benazir and his family members, while they traced their shares in 15 other companies.
ACC officials said that the commission collected information in this regard from different government agencies, including the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit of the Bangladesh Bank.
The Transparency International Bangladesh said on Sunday in a statement that the obligation to prove the government’s declaration of zero tolerance against corruption has gained unprecedented importance following the court’s order for the seizure of movable and immovable assets and bank accounts of the erstwhile IGP.
Earlier on Friday, ruling Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader said at a press conference that the government did not protect any criminals regardless of their positions, whether they were a former inspector general of police or former army chief.
On April 18, the ACC decided to carry out an inquiry against Benazir, who was a top official of the police and Rapid Action Battalion during the last three consecutive terms of the AL, on charges of amassing illegal wealth.
Newspapers and electronic media have recently run reports that Benazir and his family allegedly amassed illegal wealth and he held shares in different companies, while the family basked in a lavish lifestyle.
According to the reports, his ‘unusual assets’ did not match the legal sources of income of the former IGP, who received from the government ‘Shuddhachar Purashkar’—an award given for honesty, morality and proper financial management, among other conducts of integrity.
The reports triggered widespread criticism of Benazir and his family.
In a Facebook post, Benazir, however, claimed that the media reports about his amassing illegal wealth were false, distorted and motivated.
‘My family and my name have been falsely mentioned in reports published in newspapers,’ he said.
Benazir joined the police force as an assistant superintendent of police in February 1988.
In April 2020, he was promoted to the post of IGP after serving as commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and director general of the Rapid Action Battalion.
On December 10, 2021, the United States declared then IGP Benazir ineligible for entry to the country for ‘gross violations of human rights’ while serving as the RAB director general.
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