Testimony begins in graft case against ex-IGP Benazir 

Testimony has begun in the corruption case filed against former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed over allegations of amassing illegal wealth.

Hafizul Islam, deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and complainant in the case, gave his deposition before the court of Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 today (12 May), bench assistant of the concerned court, Sohanur Rahman, confirmed the matter.

“As the accused remains absconding, the witness could not be cross-examined,” he said.

Following the testimony, the court fixed 20 May for the next hearing.

Earlier on 3 May, the same court framed charges against Benazir Ahmed and ordered the trial to begin.

Before that, on 8 March, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet and issued an arrest warrant against the former police chief.

The case was filed on 15 December 2024 by ACC deputy director Hafizul Islam.

After completing the investigation, he 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 submitted 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 proven assets to around Tk15.68 crore.

The investigation also found that his legitimate income sources amounted to Tk6.59 crore, while his net savings after expenditures stood at Tk4.63 crore.

As a result, the ACC alleged that Benazir Ahmed accumulated assets worth Tk11.04 crore beyond known sources of income.

The charge sheet further alleged that he concealed the illegal sources, nature and ownership of the money by investing, transferring and converting the funds through various bank accounts, business entities and joint ventures.