Testimony of 14 witnesses completed against Benazir

In the case involving the acquisition of Tk 11 crore in illegal assets, testimony of six more witnesses has been completed against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed. With this, testimony of 14 out of 28 witnesses in the case has now been completed.

The witnesses gave their statements on Wednesday before the Court of Special Judge Abdullah Al Mamun, Dhaka-5. However, since the accused remains a fugitive, cross-examination of the witnesses in this case was not possible.

After their testimony, the court set the next date for July 16. Mir Ahmed Ali Salam, the lawyer representing the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), confirmed this information.

The witnesses are: Md. Abdul Hafiz, District Registrar of Narayanganj; S.M. Mostafizur Rahman, Sub-Registrar of Chandpur’s Haziganj; Md. Rafiqul Islam, Sub-Registrar of Naogaon’s Mahadebpur; Kawsar Khan, Sub-Registrar of Bhola’s Charfassion; Md. Abdus Salam, Deputy Director of the Forest Department; and Jahangir Alam, Sub-Registrar of Badda.

On March 8, the court had taken the case’s charge sheet into cognizance and issued an arrest warrant against Benazir Ahmed. Subsequently, on May 3, the same court framed charges against Benazir Ahmed and ordered the trial to begin.

On December 15, 2024, ACC Deputy Director Hafizul Islam had filed the case against Benazir as plaintiff. After completing the investigation, Hafizul Islam submitted the charge sheet on November 30 of last year, accusing him of acquiring assets beyond known income, concealing asset information, and money laundering.

According to the charge sheet, Benazir Ahmed declared immovable assets worth Tk 6,45,37,365 and movable assets worth Tk 5,74,89,966 in his submitted wealth statement. However, the investigation found evidence of immovable assets worth Tk 7,52,68,987 and movable assets worth Tk 8,15,31,264 in his name. This provides evidence of total asset acquisition of Tk 15.68 crore.

It further states that his legitimate income sources amounted to Tk 6,59,42,668. After deducting expenses, his net savings stood at Tk 4,63,56,675. As a result, Benazir Ahmed acquired assets beyond his known income amounting to Tk 11,04,43,576.

Benazir Ahmed concealed the illegal source, nature, and ownership of this money by investing, transferring, and converting it through various bank accounts, business enterprises, and joint-stock companies.