A Dhaka court has started recording testimony in a case filed against former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed over allegedly acquiring illegal wealth worth more than Tk11 crore.
Hafizul Islam, deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and complainant in the case, testified before Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-5 on Wednesday.
After his testimony, the court fixed May 20 for recording further testimony, said Sohanur Rahman, bench assistant of the court.
On May 3, the same court framed charges against Benazir and ordered the start of the trial.
On March 8, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet and issued an arrest warrant against the former police chief.
ACC Deputy Director Hafizul Islam filed the case against Benazir on December 15, 2024.
Following the investigation, Hafizul Islam submitted the charge sheet against him on November 30 last year, accusing him of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income, concealing asset information and laundering money.
According to the charge sheet, Benazir declared immovable assets worth Tk6.45 crore and movable assets worth Tk5.74 crore in his asset statement.
However, investigators found evidence of immovable assets worth Tk7.52 crore and movable assets worth Tk8.15 crore in his name, bringing the total value of identified assets to Tk15.68 crore.
Investigators found legitimate income sources amounting to Tk6.59 crore, with net savings standing at Tk4.63 crore after expenses.
As a result, assets worth Tk11.04 crore were identified as having been acquired beyond known sources of income, according to the charge sheet.
The charge sheet further alleged that Benazir invested, transferred and converted the funds through various bank accounts, business establishments and joint stock companies in an attempt to conceal the illegal source, nature and ownership of the money.