Benazir skips quizzing, ACC likely to file case now
“In the same vein, if his wife and daughters do not appear for interrogation on 24 June, further legal action will be taken against them as well,” ACC says
The Anti-Corruption Commission will now pursue further legal action against former police chief Benazir Ahmed, as he did not show up today for questioning regarding the accumulation of a large amount of wealth beyond known sources of income, said ACC Secretary Khorsheda Yasmin.
"In the same vein, if his wife and daughters do not appear for interrogation on 24 June, further legal action will be taken against them as well," she said in a press release issued this afternoon.
Contacted by TBS, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam today said filing a case against the former inspector general of police (IGP) is the next legal step, which the ACC will decide upon.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
He noted that probes into Benazir and his family members regarding substantial assets beyond their known income are progressing actively.
The lawyer further said evidence of additional illegal assets has been discovered against Benazir, and the ACC plans to soon file a petition with the court for the confiscation of these assets.
The former IGP, who reportedly departed the country with his family on 4 May, was initially scheduled to appear before the anti-graft body on 6 June.
However, the ACC investigation team extended the deadline to 23 June following a request from the former IGP's lawyer, seeking an additional 15 days to respond to the summons notice.
Benazir Ahmed served as IGP from April 2020 to September 2022 and as the director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from January 2015 to April 2020.
He also held the position of Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for a long time.
Bangla daily Kaler Kantho first published a report on Benazir's assets last year.
In the report titled "Aladdin's Lamp in Benazir's House," the newspaper unearthed some of the assets Benazir had allegedly stowed away.
Following an inquiry, the ACC submitted a petition to a Dhaka court over the matter.
On 19 May, the Dhaka court ordered the disclosure of all properties listed in 119 documents under Benazir and his family members' names.
On 23 May, the same Dhaka court ordered the seizure of 345 bighas of property listed in 83 documents under Benazir and his family members' names.
