The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has formed a committee to investigate corruption allegations against former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed and his family members.
On Sunday, Supreme Court lawyer Syed Sayedul Haque Suman approached the ACC seeking an investigation into allegations against Benazir Ahmed of amassing huge illegal wealth by abusing power.
Barrister Suman, also a lawmaker from Habiganj-4 constituency, submitted a petition to the ACC chairman on the same attaching media reports on the matter.
Earlier, the Kaler Kantho and the Daily Sun, the most popular Bengali and English newspapers in Bangladesh, published a series of reports detailing the wealth and properties allegedly acquired through illegal means by Benazir Ahmed and his family members.
Earlier in the day, a writ was filed with the High Court seeking its order to investigate the corruption allegations against the former IGP.
Supreme Court lawyer Salahuddin Regan filed the writ with the relevant branch of the HC and four persons including the ACC chairman and secretary have been made defendants.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder will hold the hearing on the petition but its date has not yet been fixed, according to the court source.
Meanwhile, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan has claimed to have obtained a copy of the petition that sought the anti-corruption watchdog’s investigation into the corruption allegations.
The ACC has also been urged to run an investigation against Benazir’s wife Zeeshan Mirza and two daughters — Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir and Tahseen Raisa Binte Benazir.
Upon receiving the copy, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam, said commission will scrutinise the petition as per its rules and regulations. If the commission feels that it falls within its purview, the ACC will take action as per the law, he added.
In his petition, Barrister Suman mentioned that Benazir and his family members’ assets do not match with their legitimate income.
Two reports published on illegal assets of Benazir sparked a widespread discussion throughout the country.
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, serves as the designated chairperson, while his elder daughter, Farheen Rishta, holds the position of managing director, and his younger daughter, Tahseen Raisa, is a director of Savanna Eco-Resort.
The huge property seems irrational in proportion to his official earnings of Tk1.85 crore during the service spanning 34 years and seven months before retiring as the 30th IGP.
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.
The former police boss has been implicated in an incident involving the acquisition of forest department land to obtain 25 percent equity shares in a luxury resort in Gazipur owned by a prominent industrial conglomerate.
Benazir invested undisclosed earnings in ventures, including Padma Bank, the Canadian University of Bangladesh, Best Western Premier and Hotel Ramada in Cox’s Bazar, Concorde Hotel and Suites in Dubai, and gold business in Singapore.
