The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is taking significant steps to trace the overseas assets of former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed and his family.
This development came after the commission faced challenges in determining the value of domestic assets held by Benazir Ahmed, his wife, and two daughters, a senior source of the commission told Dhaka Tribune on Thursday afternoon.
The ACC official said the Commission, with the help of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, has initially started investigating whether Benazir Ahmed and his wife and children have any assets abroad.
The official further said, based on the identification of seven passports belonging to Benazir, authorities will soon dispatch letters requesting detailed information about his and his family's assets in the countries associated with these passports. This step aims to gather comprehensive data on the financial holdings and properties linked to Benazir and his relatives across various nations.
In April, the High Court sought the progress report of the investigation committee formed by the ACC on allegations of irregularities, corruption, abuse of power and acquisition of illegal wealth by the former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed.
The Commission prepared a progress report on the domestic assets of Benazir Ahmed and his family, but could not submit it in the wake of widespread protests for reforming the quota system in government jobs, as well as the ongoing nationwide curfew and general holiday.
The progress report will be submitted when the High Court fixes a date, a member of the investigation team told this reporter.
The report reveals that Benazir and his family member’s assets may total approximately Tk434 million, but the commission could not estimate the value of some of the properties due to a lack of experts.
The progress report estimates Benazir Ahmed’s assets at Tk 92.5 million, Jisan Mirza's at Tk 213.4 million, Farhin Rishta Binte Benazir's at Tk 61 million, and Tahsin Raisa Binte Benazir's at Tk 47.5 million.
The assets under scrutiny include 25 acres of leased land in Suwalk Mouza, Bandarban; two plots of 14 kathas each in Dosarpar, Sirajdikhan, under Jisan Mirza’s name; seven plots in Dhaleshwari Cooperative Society, Baluchar Mouza; a building on 3 kathas of land in Baylajari Mouza, Uttara; and six flats in PC Culture Housing, Adabor, also under Jisan Mirza’s name, according to the progress report.
