A Dhaka court has ordered the commencement of trial against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed after framing charges in a corruption case involving the alleged accumulation of illegal assets worth over Tk11 crore.
Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-5 passed the order on Sunday and fixed 13 May for the recording of witness testimonies.
Court bench assistant Sohanur Rahman confirmed the development.
According to court sources, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam argued in favour of framing charges. However, no defence lawyer appeared on behalf of the accused, as he remains absconding.
Earlier, on 8 March, the court had accepted the charge sheet and issued an arrest warrant against Benazir Ahmed.
The case was filed on 15 December 2024 by ACC Deputy Director Hafizul Islam. Following an investigation, he submitted the charge sheet on 30 November last year, accusing the former police chief of acquiring assets beyond known sources of income, concealing wealth information, and engaging in money laundering.
According to the charge sheet, Benazir Ahmed declared immovable assets worth Tk6,45,37,365 and movable assets worth Tk5,74,89,966 in his wealth statement.
However, the investigation found evidence of immovable assets amounting to Tk7,52,68,987 and movable assets worth Tk8,15,31,264 in his name, bringing the total to Tk15.68 crore.
His legal income was estimated at Tk6,59,42,668. After expenses, his net savings stood at Tk4,63,56,675.
This indicates that he accumulated assets worth Tk11,04,43,576 beyond known sources of income.
The charge sheet further alleges that Benazir concealed the illegal sources, nature and ownership of the funds by investing, transferring and converting the money through various bank accounts, business entities and joint ventures.
bd-pratidin/GR
