Court approves appointment of supervisors for Benazir's confiscated property

A Dhaka court has granted the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) permission to appoint a supervisor to manage the confiscated properties of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Mohammad Ash Shams Jaglul Hossain gave this order today (6 June) in response to the ACC's application, confirmed ACC lawyer Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.

According to the court order, Benazir's Savar property will be looked after by the UNO there, and Gopalganj's fish farm will be looked after by the district fisheries officer. The former IGP's Madaripur and Cox's Bazar properties will be looked after by the respective district commissioners. 

Apart from this, four flats in the capital's Gulshan will be taken care of by the district administration of Dhaka.

Following a petition filed by the ACC on 19 May, a Dhaka court ordered the seizure of all properties listed in 119 deeds and other documents under Benazir and his family members' names.

Previously, in response to another petition on 23 May, the same Dhaka court ordered the seizure of 345 bighas of property listed in 83 documents under Benazir and his family members' names. The ACC stated in the court application that these lands are situated in Gopalganj and Cox's Bazar areas.

The court also ordered the seizure of 276 bighas of land registered under Benazir Ahmed and his wife Zeeshan Mirza's names in Satpara Dumuria Mauza of Madaripur Rajoir upazila.

Furthermore, four companies under his family members' names, as well as partial shares in 15 companies, have been instructed for seizure.

In total, approximately 621 bighas of land owned by Benazir and his family members have been ordered for confiscation. Most of these lands, about 521 bighas, are owned by Benazir's wife Zeeshan Mirza.

According to the ACC's court filings, the acquisition of 621 bighas of land, establishment of companies, and purchase of shares in 15 companies occurred between May 2020 and August 2022.

Benazir Ahmed served as the Inspector General of Police from 15 April 2020 to 30 September 2022. Before this, he held positions as the commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and director general of the Rapid Action Battalion.

Benazir was among those sanctioned by the US in December 2021 for alleged human rights violations while he was serving as the IGP.

Following the publication of the news report concerning Benazir's assets, Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon, an independent member of parliament for Habiganj 4 constituency, urged the ACC to investigate the matter.