Former Inspector General of Bangladesh Police Benazir Ahmed has invested heavily under the ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ project to build a second residence in Malaysia.
He has invested in the housing sector by taking money from the country. Bought a house. After his wife’s treatment in Singapore, he went to that house in Malaysia and settled with his family for the time being.
There is also clear evidence of his money transactions in various banks in Malaysia. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation team got this information while investigating Benazir’s assets in the country and abroad.
Meanwhile, ACC is getting information about Benazir’s other assets in the country as well. There is a complaint with the organization, it is known that Benazir Ahmed has business with Motajerul Islam Mithu, who is controversial in various contracting works of the Ministry of Health.
They bought several hundred bighas of land in two northern districts. In at least three of them, ‘North Poultry Farm’ has been built on hundred bighas. They also have a chicken feed business. The process of sending letters to various departments is going on to verify this information. The information mentioned in several related sources is known.
When asked about Benazir’s wealth and corruption, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters, “Anyone who does wrong will be punished according to the laws of the country.” Benazir is under investigation. Whether he has done wrong, or is innocent, whether he has evaded taxes, or otherwise accumulated wealth – will be judged accordingly after the investigation is over.’
When asked about Benazir leaving the country while the investigation is ongoing, he said, “I don’t know whether she is in the country or has gone abroad.”
According to various sources, including ACC investigation and Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BIFU), there is no opportunity to legally buy a house in Malaysia with money from Bangladesh. People who bought houses there basically laundered money. In this regard, Benazir Ahmed is no exception.
It is known that Benazir Ahmed developed a close relationship with Ratan, the president of the Malaysian volunteer group. Mohammedan club director AGM Sabbir established a relationship between them.
Sabbir is one of the illegal income earners of former IGP Benazir, a member of the standing committee of this club. Benazir Ahmed has smuggled huge amount of money through Ratan through his mediation.
Besides, Benazir Ahmed smuggled huge amount of money through Humayan Kabir, one of Malaysia’s hundi traders. Humayan did a huge hundi business under the cover of manpower export business. His office is in Sichuangsa, Kuala Lumpur. Benazir buys a state-of-the-art house for the family with the money smuggled through Humayun and Ratan. Invested in housing sector.
Ratan is now staying in a European country and Sabbir is staying in UK. Humayan is in Malaysia. ACC officials have started collecting detailed information about Benazir’s assets in Malaysia through BFIU.
It is known that the Malaysian government launched the ‘second home’ program in 2002. Under this, a citizen of another country gets long-term residence and other benefits by depositing a certain amount (about two crore rupees) in a Malaysian bank. They can buy houses there. You can invest in business.
Benazir Ahmed also invested there like many people in Bangladesh with this opportunity. According to sources close to Benazir, she left the country for Singapore with her family on May 4 after the Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigation began. After his wife’s treatment there, he can now stay in Malaysia.
It is known that while looking for information about Benazir’s wealth in the country and abroad, the ACC has found some new information. Among them, there is a large poultry farm in Bara Khojabari area of Jagannathpur union in Thakurgaon. The farm is named ‘North Poultry Farm’, jointly owned with controversial health contractor Mithu.
There is another farm with the same name in the area adjacent to Vinjagat Park in Chandpur Union of Jaldhaka Upazila of Nilphamari. Benazir Ahmed and Mithu were present during the inauguration of this farm.
Apart from this, there is another farm in Dayar Bazar area of Kishoreganj upazila. It is known that several hundred bighas of land have been purchased in the name of these farms. Mithu’s brother Manik Haji looks after these farms.
Incidentally, during his tenure as IGP, Benazir Ahmed used to speak strongly against corruption in various meetings and seminars and police events. He was fine after retiring from service.
But in the month of April, he came into the discussion anew after a report was published in the media highlighting the information of huge assets in the name of him and his family members. After that, there were demands for the search of his wealth from various quarters.
Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Saidul Haque Sumon also appealed to the ACC to investigate his assets. After that, the commission formed a team of three members in this regard. In the initial investigation of this team, the ACC confirmed the information of assets of Benazir and his family worth thousands of rupees.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Mohammad Assamach Jaglul Hossain ordered the seizure of various property documents, flats and shares of the company in Dhaka in view of the two applications made by the ACC on May 23 and 26. On May 23, an order was issued to seize and freeze around 345 bighas (114 acres) of land and 33 bank accounts held by Benazir Ahmed and his family members.
Of the 205 acres of assets found so far in the name of Benazir Ahmed and his family, 142 acres (468 bighas) are in the name of wife Jisan Mirza. On May 26, the court ordered the seizure of 119 immovable and immovable properties in the name of Benazir Ahmed and his wife and children. These include 4 flats in the capital’s Gulshan, a land in Savar and 114 deeded properties in Madaripur.
Also, 33 bank accounts and their securities (shares) have been blocked. The court has ordered the seizure of 621 bigha land of Benazir Ahmed and his family members in two rounds. In addition, on the order of the court last Monday, the capital market regulator Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) ordered the Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL), the electronics share repository of the capital market, to freeze all the BO accounts (Beneficiary Owners Accounts) in the name of Benazir Ahmed and his wife and children.
Shares and money cannot be traded in the accounts while this order is in force. Implementation of other court orders has also started. And letters have been sent to financial intelligence units in America, Canada and Dubai through BFIU to collect information about assets outside the country. It has been asked whether they have bank accounts, movable and immovable assets. In the meantime, ACC has received information about his huge investment in second home projects in Malaysia.
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