No matter how influential a person is, they must face punishment if they commit a crime, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said today (24 May) regarding the court order to seize the assets of former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed.
"If someone is found guilty of a crime through the judicial process, why would they be protected? No matter how influential a person is, they must face punishment if they commit a crime," Quader said at a press conference organised at the Awami League's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital this morning.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said, "The government is determined to hold criminals accountable, ensuring no one evades justice. Both the judiciary and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) operate independently.
"Hence, there is no provision for the government to offer protection to any individual," he added.
On Thursday, a Dhaka court issued a directive to seize the immovable assets registered under the names of Benazir Ahmed, his wife, and daughter. At the same time, the court instructed to freeze their bank accounts.
Senior Special Judge Mohammad Asshams Jaglul Hossain of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court issued this order in response to a plea filed by the ACC. The ACC submitted the application to the court as part of its investigation into the assets of Benazir Ahmed.
Benazir's massive wealth
Kaler Kantho, a local daily newspaper, has published a two-part investigative report (Ex-IGP's Misdeeds-1 & 2) exposing the vast wealth amassed by former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed and his family.
The first part, titled "Aladdin's Lamp in Benazir's House," was published on 31 March and revealed the existence of an eco-resort built on approximately 1,400 bighas of land owned by Benazir's family.
The report further stated that the family had acquired an additional 800 bighas of land adjacent to the resort and also held 2 lakh shares of a five-star hotel. Additionally, the family owned a 3,500-square-foot apartment in the city's Bashundhara.
The report alleged that all these properties were acquired through illicit means.
The second part, titled "Benazir's Resort on Forest Land," was published on 2 April revealed that the Bhawal Resort, built on 160 bighas of land in Naljani village under Bhawal Union of Gazipur Sadar Upazila, had encroached upon 20 bighas of forest land.
Benazir Ahmed's family owns 25% of this resort.
The report also mentioned that the family owns a hotel worth hundreds of crores of taka in Dubai, a gold business in Singapore, and land in Thailand and Malaysia.
On 20 April, in response to Kaler Kantho's reports, Benazir Ahmed released a video on his Facebook account.
In the video, he claimed that his family's wealth was legitimate and that all accounts were duly mentioned in their tax filings.