Fourteen Witnesses Testify in Former Police Chief Benazir corruption Case

Judicial proceedings against the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Benazir Ahmed, advanced significantly today. A special anti-corruption court recorded testimonies regarding accusations of amassing over 110 million Taka in illegal wealth. On Wednesday, 1 July, Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of the Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-5 heard statements from six state witnesses.

Following a prior hearing on Tuesday, 23 June, where eight witnesses testified, the deposition count has reached fourteen. With a total of 28 listed witnesses, the prosecution has hit the halfway mark. The court adjourned the session, scheduling 16 July for the next phase of testimonies.

Mir Ahmed Ali Salam, a prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), noted that the trial is progressing steadily following the formal framing of charges. The six witnesses who appeared on Wednesday consisted primarily of land registration and environmental officials. They were identified as Narayanganj District Registrar Md Abdul Hafiz, Chandpur Hajiganj Sub-Registrar SM Mostafizur Rahman, Naogaon Mohadevpur Sub-Registrar Md Kafil Uddin, Bhola Charfasson Sub-Registrar Kawsar Khan, Forest Department Deputy Director Md Abdus Salam, and Badda Sub-Registrar Jahangir Alam. Their accounts aimed to verify property deeds, land registries, and asset acquisitions under the former police chief’s name.

Discrepancies in Asset Declarations

The formal trial commenced on 3 May after the court rejected dismissal pleas and framed charges. This case stems from an investigation initiated on 15 December 2024 by ACC Deputy Director Hafizul Islam. Following a nearly year-long inquiry, the anti-graft agency submitted its formal charge sheet on 30 November 2025.

The ACC prosecution dossier highlights vast discrepancies between the defendant’s declared wealth and their actual holdings. In his submission, Benazir Ahmed declared immovable assets worth 64.5 million Taka and movable properties valued at 57.4 million Taka. However, investigators uncovered verifiable evidence of 75.2 million Taka in immovable assets alongside 81.5 million Taka in movable holdings, bringing his total wealth portfolio to 156.8 million Taka.

Against this accumulation, investigators found legitimate sources of income amounting to just 65.9 million Taka. Accounting for estimated living costs, his net lawful savings should have stood at 46.3 million Taka. Consequently, the tracking of undisclosed financial trails revealed 110.4 million Taka in unexplained wealth, which forms the basis of the current prosecution.

Multiple Bureaucratic and Legal Battles

Beyond this principal illicit enrichment trial, Benazir Ahmed is facing five additional investigations spearheaded by the ACC. He is designated as the primary accused in two of these cases. In the remaining three, his wife, Zeeshan Mirza, and their two daughters, Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir and Tahsin Raisa Binte Benazir, are named as the principal suspects, with the former IGP listed as a co-accused helper.

These overlapping probes cover various financial and administrative offences:

• On 14 October 2024, the ACC filed a case against Benazir and four others for passport fraud, alleging that he falsified his identity as a private sector employee while holding a senior government office to secure a non-official passport.

• On 20 February 2025, the commission initiated money laundering charges against Benazir, his wife, and their two daughters.

• On 15 December 2024, three separate illicit enrichment cases were filed against his wife and daughters respectively, citing his direct complicity.

Benazir Ahmed served as the Inspector General of Police from 15 April 2020 until his retirement on 30 September 2022. Prior to his appointment to the pinnacle of law enforcement, he held influential posts as the Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and the Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

Key Metrics of the Case