Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed is free to travel anywhere in the world as there is no travel ban against him, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said today.
“Neither any court nor the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has issued a ban on his travel abroad,” Mahmud stated during a briefing at his ministry after returning from visits to Antigua and New York.
According to The Daily Star, Benazir, his wife, and their three daughters left Dhaka on a Singapore Airlines flight on the night of May 4. This report was based on information from anonymous officers in law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The ACC summoned the former police chief on May 28 to appear before it on June 6 over corruption allegations. Benazir’s wife Jissan Mirza and two of their daughters have also been asked to appear before the ACC on June 9 for questioning regarding similar accusations. Letters have been sent to them in this regard.
“Now, we have to see whether he appears before the ACC on June 6 or seeks more time,” Hasan Mahmud remarked.
The summons to Benazir and his family members followed a court order to confiscate their properties. On May 23, a Dhaka court instructed the relevant authorities to confiscate properties listed under 83 deeds, which include 114 acres of land, and freeze 33 bank accounts under Benazir and his family`s names.
Three days later, the same court ordered the confiscation of assets under 119 more deeds connected to Benazir and his family members due to alleged financial misconduct. It also directed the authorities to seize eight wholly-owned and 15 partially-owned properties belonging to Benazir, his wife Jissan Mirza, and their three daughters.
The ACC reportedly decided on April 18 to investigate allegations of Benazir amassing illegal wealth. A three-member committee was formed to probe these allegations.
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