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The Red Notice sought his location and provisional arrest pending extradition and listed Singapore, the UAE, Malaysia, Türkiye, Australia, the United States, and Canada among countries he might visit.
ACC Deputy Director (Public Relations) Akhtarul Islam said yesterday that the commission had requested the Red Notice in connection with two cases: one involving alleged passport fraud and another concerning wealth acquired beyond known sources of income.
On November 10 last year, the ACC submitted a charge sheet against Benazir over illicit wealth accumulation, concealment of assets, and money laundering. The case is now under trial. He is also facing five other corruption-related cases, investigations into which are ongoing.
Beyond the corruption allegations, Benazir, also a former chief of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), is facing trial before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in a crimes against humanity case linked to enforced disappearances and torture at the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell.
The tribunal has issued another arrest warrant for him in a separate crimes against humanity case over the May 5, 2013, crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam at Shapla Chattar.
During his years in Rab and the police, domestic and international rights groups repeatedly raised concerns over alleged enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other human rights violations.
In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Rab and several of its then officials, including Benazir, over allegations of serious human rights abuses.
According to the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances formed by the interim government, Benazir was allegedly involved in at least 95 cases of enforced disappearance during his tenure as Rab chief.
EXTRADITION PROCESS
The Daily Star spoke to a former assistant inspector general at the National Central Bureau (NCB) in Dhaka and another Bangladesh Police official who previously worked with Interpol about the process of bringing Benazir back.
They said the home ministry would prepare a summary of the case underlying the Red Notice and send it to the foreign ministry, which would then formally communicate with the UAE foreign ministry seeking extradition.
The NCB acts as the official link between national law enforcement agencies and Interpol’s global network.
The officials said several fugitives had previously been returned from Dubai through Interpol channels.
“If the UAE government is interested, they can ask Bangladesh Police to take Benazir back,” one official said.
The most recent example was the return of murder accused Arif Sarker from Dubai on May 6 with Interpol’s assistance.
Still, both officials expressed reservations about how quickly Benazir could be extradited, citing his influence and familiarity with legal procedures.
They said he could challenge extradition proceedings in UAE courts, in which case Bangladesh Embassy representatives would also appear to argue for his return.
One official said that although Benazir faces multiple cases, including those before the ICT, extradition would depend not only on Interpol procedures but also on relations between Bangladesh and the UAE.
He added that Benazir could also be returned under bilateral legal arrangements. Bangladesh and the UAE signed an agreement on the transfer of sentenced prisoners in 2014.
RISE AND FALL
Benazir was among the most influential police officials during the Awami League regime. He served as commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police from 2010 to 2014, director general of Rab from 2015 to 2020, and later as IGP from April 2020 until September 2022.
Following his retirement, media reports alleged that he had amassed vast wealth through illegal means. He later left the country with family members as the ACC began investigating.
After the political changeover on August 5, 2024, investigations into multiple corruption allegations against the former police chief gathered pace.
A Daily Star investigation published in June 2024 found that Benazir had forced several hundred Hindu families in Gopalganj and Madaripur to sell ancestral land through intimidation, indirect pressure, and restrictions on access to their properties.
Affected landowners said many sold farmland at prices far below market value out of fear of Benazir’s influence. Some alleged access to their land was blocked after surrounding plots were acquired, while others said their farmland became unusable after sand was dumped on it.
The investigation also found that the ACC had identified at least 605.77 bighas of land acquired by Benazir and his family in Gopalganj and Madaripur, much of it previously owned by members of the Hindu community.
The Daily Star previously reported that Benazir’s wife, Jissan Mirza, owns a three-bedroom apartment worth an estimated Tk 14 crore on the 54th floor of The Address Fountain Views Residences in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa area.
In addition, Benazir’s daughter, Farheen Rishta Binte Benazir, is listed as the owner of two now-defunct companies -- Bandub Project Management Services and Bandub Top Project Management Services -- both established in 2020 and located in Dubai’s Bur Dubai Al Fahidi area, according to the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a Washington DC-based non-profit.