Court orders confiscation of more of Benazir's assets
33 financial accounts, including 27 bank accounts, already seized
A Dhaka court has ordered the confiscation of four flats in the capital's Gulshan and other properties listed in 113 deeds belonging to former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, his wife, and children.
The court has also ordered the freezing of shares in their names in various companies and savings certificates in Sonali Bank.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad As-Shams Jaglul Hossain passed the order today following an appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission, its lawyer Mahmud Hossain Jahangir told The Business Standard.
He said more of Benazir's wealth has been found after the court on Thursday ordered the seizure of all properties listed in 83 documents.
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Following this, the ACC applied to the court on Sunday for an order to attach them. After the hearing, the court granted the ACC's request.
On Thursday, the same court ordered the confiscation of all properties mentioned in 83 documents belonging to Benazir and his family members, in connection with allegations of corruption brought against him.
Besides, 33 bank accounts held in their names across various public and private banks were ordered to be frozen.
The new assets
ACC sources said Benazir and his wife Zeeshan Mirza collectively own approximately 8,536 decimals or about 258 bighas of land in Madaripur's Rajoir upazila.
They acquired these lands between January 2021 and August 2022, with the deed indicating a market value of only Tk10.21 crore.
The court has also ordered the freezing of a Tk30 lakh savings certificate issued in August 2021 at Sonali Bank Ramna Corporate Branch under Benazir's name.
Besides, two separate BO accounts in the name of his wife Zeeshan Mirza and daughter Tahsin Raisa Binte Benazir in Shanta Securities Limited, and a BO account in Benazir's name in Lanka Securities have been ordered to be frozen.
In addition, orders have been issued to seize Savannah Park, Savannah Agro, Savannah Eco Resort, and a company named Shishir Bindu, which are wholly owned by Benazir and his family members.
Shares owned by Benazir and his family members in 15 companies will also be subject to freezing.
Their shares are in North's Chicks Rangpur, Northern Business Associates, St Peter's School of London, Stealth Industries, Bangla Tea Manufacturing Industries, Delta Artisans, East Valley Dairy, Green Multimedia, Community Bank, Community Bank Investment, Centre for Security and Law Enforcement Research Foundation, Police Trust Industrial Products, Police Trust Service and Entertainment, Police Trust Construction and Development, and Southern Business Initiatives.
Confiscation underway
Implementation of the court's order on 23 May to confiscate all assets and freeze bank accounts of Benazir Ahmed and his family members, is underway, the ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the media today.
He said Benazir's 33 financial accounts, including 27 bank accounts, have been seized so far. As a result, he will not be able to conduct any more transactions through these banks, Khurshid Alam said.
Earlier, ACC Secretary Khorsheda Yasmin said in a press conference that a national daily newspaper had published a report on 31 March alleging that former IGP Benazir Ahmed had acquired illegal wealth.
Subsequently, other media outlets published similar allegations. The ACC has initiated legal action in response to the allegations raised in those reports, she said.
