15 witnesses testify in graft case against ex-IGP Benazir

A Dhaka court on Thursday recorded the testimony of another witness in a graft case against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed over allegations of amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and laundering money.

Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 recorded the testimony and fixed 17 August for the next hearing, ACC prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said.

The witness Md Faisal Kabir, Assistant Director (Technical) at the Department of Textiles, testified before the court on Thursday. With his testimony, 15 of the 28 prosecution witnesses have so far testified in the case.

On 3 May, the same court framed charges against Benazir, formally opening the trial after taking cognisance of the charge sheet and issuing an arrest warrant against him on 8 March.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on 15 December 2024, accusing Benazir of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income, concealing assets and laundering money

Following its investigation, the ACC submitted a charge sheet on 30 November last year, alleging that Benazir declared immovable assets worth Tk6.45 crore and movable assets worth Tk5.74 crore in his wealth statement.

However, investigators found that he actually owned immovable assets worth Tk7.52 crore and movable assets worth Tk8.15 crore, bringing the total value of his assets to Tk15.68 crore.

The ACC said Benazir's lawful income amounted to Tk6.59 crore and that, after expenses, his net savings stood at Tk4.63 crore. It alleged that he had accumulated unexplained wealth worth Tk11.04 crore.

According to the charge sheet, Benazir concealed the source, nature and ownership of the funds and laundered them by investing, transferring and converting the money through various bank accounts, business entities and joint-stock companies.