COURT CORRESPONDENT

A Dhaka court yesterday ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission to take steps for freezing and confiscating foreign assets owned by former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed.

The order was given in relation to a case filed over the accumulation of assets worth Tk 9.44 crore beyond his known income and concealed assets worth Tk 2.62 crore.

The assets include two bank accounts, one residential apartment and one commercial apartment in USA and two bank accounts in Malaysia. Of those, the two apartments in the USA has a market value of $430,000, and the bank accounts were opened in Standard Chartered Bank, USA.

He also opened two other accounts in CIMB Islami Bank in Malaysia.

The ACC did not mention how much money he deposited in the accounts.

Judge Md Zakir Hossain of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court passed the order after ACC Deputy Director Md Hafijul Islam, who is the investigation officer, submitted an application in this regard.

The judge ordered the ACC to send a copy of the order to the authorities of USA and Malaysia for next course of action.

The petition mentioned the accused person illegally transferred money earned outside of known sources of income, which is a criminal offence under Section 27(1) of the ACC Act, 2004.