Former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed is out on bail in the UAE but has been barred from leaving the country, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.
Speaking in parliament today (10 November), the minister said the extradition process was not completed automatically by an Interpol Red Notice or an arrest, as it required legal and judicial procedures in the country receiving the request.
He said the process of bringing Benazir back to face trial was not over yet and that the government continued all legal, diplomatic and international police efforts.
“There is no inaction on the government’s part,” he said, replying to a motion accepted under Rule 147 during the fourth session of parliament.
The requested country’s central authority and courts examine the extradition request, the nature of the offence, the arrest warrant, the evidence and other legal requirements under that country’s laws before making a decision, the minister said.
A person’s custody status, release on bail or any decision by the requested country’s judicial authorities under its own laws does not mean that Bangladesh’s extradition request has been withdrawn or rejected, or that the process has come to an end, he said.
It would also be wrong to interpret the legal and judicial procedures involved in extradition as government inaction or failure, he added.
Bangladesh’s legal and diplomatic efforts
After a Bangladeshi court issued an arrest warrant, the minister said, the investigating agency requested a Red Notice after the relevant documents were verified.
Interpol issued the notice on 11 April 2025.
On 12 June this year, NCB Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s Interpol National Central Bureau operating under its interior ministry, formally told NCB Dhaka that Benazir had been arrested in the UAE.
It asked Bangladesh to send a formal extradition request through diplomatic channels within 30 days, under Article 11 of the UAE’s Federal Law 39/2006.
Bangladesh did not wait for the deadline, the home minister said.
“We sent the request to the UAE Central Authority on 16 June, with a copy to NCB Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Bangladesh has since supplied additional documents sought by the UAE, appointed local lawyers and continued inquiries and coordination over Benazir’s whereabouts and movements, the minister said.
ACC seeks information on Benazir’s overseas assets
The Anti-Corruption Commission has sent mutual legal assistance requests to the countries concerned over assets held abroad in the names of Benazir and his family members, the home minister said.
Once the necessary records and evidence arrive, further steps to freeze, seize, confiscate or recover the assets would be taken under applicable laws, court orders and international legal cooperation frameworks, he added.
“The government is committed to the rule of law, due judicial process and international cooperation,” the minister said.
He also said the government would continue all possible efforts to bring Benazir back, relying on verified official information and respecting the sovereignty and domestic laws of the country concerned.
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