Court fixes 11 October to record testimony against ex-IGP Benazir in corruption case

A Dhaka court has postponed the recording of witness testimony in a case against former inspector general of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed over allegations of acquiring illegal wealth and fixed 11 October for the next hearing.

Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 Judge Abdullah Al Mamun passed the order today (10 September), as no witnesses appeared before the court for the scheduled hearing.

ACC lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali Salam confirmed the matter.

A total of 15 out of 28 witnesses have so far testified in the case.

Earlier, on 8 March, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet and issued an arrest warrant against Benazir Ahmed. On 3 May, the same court framed charges against him and ordered the trial to begin.

The case was filed on 15 December 2024 by ACC Deputy Director Hafizul Islam.

After completing the investigation, Hafizul Islam submitted the charge sheet on 30 November last year, accusing Benazir Ahmed of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income, concealing asset information and laundering money.

According to the charge sheet, Benazir Ahmed declared immovable assets worth Tk6.45 crore and movable assets worth Tk5.74 crore in his wealth statement.

However, investigators found evidence of immovable assets worth Tk7.52 crore and movable assets worth Tk8.15 crore in his name, bringing the total value of assets proven to have been acquired to around Tk15.68 crore.

The charge sheet said Benazir's legitimate sources of income amounted to Tk6.59 crore, while his net savings after deducting expenses stood at Tk4.63 crore.

As a result, the ACC alleged that he had acquired Tk11.04 crore in assets beyond his known sources of income.

The charge sheet further alleged that Benazir concealed the illegal source, nature and ownership of the money by investing, transferring and converting the funds through various bank accounts, business entities and joint-stock companies.