Court Correspondent :
The High Court Division of the Supreme Court (HC) on Tuesday directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to submit a progress report following the enquiry into reported allegations of corruption against former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed in two months.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadot Hossain passed the order following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Salahuddin Reagan seeking necessary directives.
During hearing, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the apex court bench that the commission has formed a committee to probe the allegations against Benazir Ahmed and has fixed the terms of the enquiry.
Senior lawyers Mohammad Sayed Ahmed Raza and Shah Monjurul Hoque, who appeared on behalf of Benazir Ahmed, vehemently opposed the writ petition saying there was no inaction or failure on the part of ACC and it has already formed a committee to probe the allegations.
They appealed to the apex court to reject the petition.
Sarwar Hossain and Manoj Kumar Bhowmik appeared for the writ petitioner during the hearing.
On March 31, a national daily published a report on Benazir’s alleged corruption. Several electronic media also published reports on the allegations a day later.
According to a media investigation that the former IGP built Savanna Eco-Resort and five other companies in Bairagitol village of Gopalganj with an investment of over Tk500 crore.
Benazir’s wife Zeeshan Mirza is the designed Chairperson while his elder daughter Farheen Risha is the Managing Director and younger daughter Tahseen Raisa is a director of Savanna Eco-Resort.
The huge property seems irrational in proportion to his official earnings of Tk185 crore during his service spanning 34 years and seven months before his retirement as the 30th IGP of the country.
Investigation also revealed that Benazir has huge wealth in posh areas of the capital. He owns two lakh shares at Le Meridien Dhaka Hotel in the names of his two daughters.
Among several others, in Purbachal, he built a duplex villa spread over 40 kathas of land with an estimated value of at least Tk45 crore and owns another 10 bighas of land worth Tk22 crore.
Meanwhile, former Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Golam Rahman said the ACC should conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations of corruption against former IGP Benazir Ahmed.
Golam Rahman came up with the comment while talking to the media on Monday evening.
He said, “Newspaper or mass media play important role in fighting against corruption. Based on the reports published in the newspaper, we have also investigated various irregularities and corruptions before.”
During my tenure, the ACC investigated several corruption allegations, especially against Hallmark, UniPay2U, and Destiny, mostly based on newspaper reports.
ACC has formed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations against Benazir Ahmed after the reports of acquiring unusual wealth and corruptions.
When asked, what the ACC should do in this case, the former ACC Chairman suggested, “All investigations should be conducted lawfully. It is important to look into the matter impartiality.”
“The truth will come out if it is investigated lawfully and impartially. Before the investigation, it will be prejudicial to say that he (former IGP Benazir Ahmed) has committed corruption.
However, if corruption is found in the investigation, it can be said that he has committed corruption. It is not right to call someone corrupt until the corruption is proven,” he further said.
He added, “There are several methods of proving corruption. ACC will look at the matter impartially in the legal process, this is the expectation of the countrymen.”
As Benazir Ahmed is an influential person, is there any possibility of disrupting the investigation process? In reply to this question, Golam Rahman said, “Law is equal for all. No matter how influential a person is, the ACC’s job will be to investigate without grudges.
Finding out the fact.”
When asked whether there is any advice to the ACC officials in this regard, he said, “I expect that the ACC officials will investigate according to their prescribed law.
A complaint has been made, it does not mean that he has done wrong. It is clear that the ACC will investigate the matter in accordance with the law without any grudges.”
