Court to decide Benazir's arrest after case filed: Quader

The court will decide when to arrest former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed after a case is filed against him, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said today (31 May).

"If the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) files a case, action will be taken according to the law. The process is ongoing, and investigations are being conducted," he said at a press briefing at the Awami League President's office in Dhanmondi this afternoon.

However, Quader mentioned that he was unaware of the details regarding Benazir's travel abroad.

Quader, also Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said the Awami League government is taking action against corrupt individuals, investigations are ongoing.

Slamming BNP as the "master of corruption and looting," he said the names of BNP leaders would top any list of corrupt individuals.

Mentioning that no country has a perfect democracy, he said, "We don't claim our democracy is perfect. But we are trying to make it perfect, our Prime Minister is sincere in this regard."

BNP which now talks about multiparty democracy itself practiced "curfew democracy" and arranged a fraudulent referendum on February 15, with a dubious 114% 'Yes' vote and 12.3 million fake voters, Quader said.

Quader said the BNP had pushed the democratic process to the brink of destruction and turned elections into a farce.

Addressing BNP's claims that Tarique Rahman and Khaleda Zia are popular leaders despite their corruption, Quader said, "During the BNP era, Hawa Bhaban was a hub of corruption and looting. Now they dare to speak about corruption. Did they ever punish any party activist or government official for corruption?

Earlier on 23 May, a Dhaka ordered confiscating all assets and freezing bank accounts of Benazir Ahmed and his family members.

The same court on 26 May ordered the confiscation of four flats in the capital's Gulshan and other properties listed in 113 deeds belonging to Benazir Ahmed, his wife, and children.

Earlier, ACC Secretary Khorsheda Yasmin said in a press conference that a national daily newspaper had published a report on 31 March alleging that former IGP Benazir Ahmed had acquired illegal wealth. 

Subsequently, other media outlets published similar allegations. The ACC has initiated legal action in response to the allegations raised in those reports, she said.