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He was asked to turn up on Thursday
Published : 05 Jun 2024, 09:31 PM
Former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed has requested a 15-day extension from the Anti-Corruption Commission to respond to its notice regarding allegations of corruption.
The notice asked him to appear before the anti-graft body on Thursday, but he pleaded for more time through a lawyer on Wednesday, ACC Commissioner Jahurul Haque said.
His wife Jishan Mirza, and daughters Farjin Rishta Binte Benazir and Tahsina Raisa Binte Benazir were also asked to appear before the national graft buster on Jun 9.
The ACC has been investigating the assets of the former inspector general of police and his family following media reports that he had accumulated wealth beyond means.
The High Court has also ordered seizure of their properties and freezing of their bank accounts.
But media reports suggest the former police chief had withdrawn most of the funds from his accounts and left the country before the court
passed the order.
It is unclear if Benazir is still in Bangladesh.
When questioned about the matter, ACC Commissioner Jahurul Haque on Tuesday said he was unaware of the former police chief's whereabouts.
He also said the law does not specify if someone must appear before the commission when summoned.
“But they have an option to request time. The ACC has the authority to give them 15 more days.”
“If they do not turn up even after the added time, it is assumed that they don’t have anything to say. The charges can then be proved through documents, otherwise not,” he said.
"If they fail to appear even after the additional time, it is assumed they have no defence against the charges, which can then be proven through documents," the ACC official added.
The daily Kaler Kantho, owned by Bashundhara Group, reported that Benazir's family had built an eco-resort on around 354 hectares of land in Gopalganj with dirty money.
It also alleged that the former IGP owns multiple flats and houses in Dhaka and Purbachal.
The newspaper accused his family of encroaching on forest land to construct a resort in Gazipur.
Benazir did his master’s in English from Dhaka University. He also has a PhD in business administration from the university’s Faculty of Business Studies.
He joined the police force in 1988 and retired as IGP in September 2022. He had also worked as the director general of the Rapid Action Battalion. He had worked in the UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo as well.
In a video message on Facebook, Benazir refuted the allegations reported by the national daily and a TV station.
