The recording of testimony in a corruption case against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, filed over allegations of acquiring assets beyond known sources of income, has been deferred until October 18 as no witness appeared before the court on Sunday.
 
The testimony was scheduled to be recorded on October 11 before the court of Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5.
 
Mir Ahmed Ali Salam, a prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), confirmed the adjournment, saying the proceedings had been postponed because no witness appeared to testify.
 
Earlier, on May 3, the same court ordered the trial to begin by framing charges against Benazir Ahmed.
 
On March 8, the court accepted the charge sheet in the case and issued an arrest warrant against the former police chief.
 
The ACC filed the case on December 15, 2024, with its Deputy Director Hafizul Islam as the complainant.
 
Following an investigation, the commission submitted a charge sheet on November 30, accusing Benazir of acquiring assets beyond his known sources of income, concealing information about his assets and money laundering.
 
According to the charge sheet, Benazir declared assets worth approximately Tk12 crore in his wealth statement, while the investigation found evidence of assets worth around Tk15.68 crore.
 
Of the total assets identified, immovable property was valued at more than Tk7.52 crore, while movable assets were worth over Tk8.15 crore.
 
The investigation identified approximately Tk6.59 crore as income from legitimate sources. After deducting expenses, his net savings were estimated at around Tk4.63 crore.
 
Consequently, the ACC alleged that assets worth approximately Tk11.04 crore could not be explained by his known sources of income.
 
According to the commission, Benazir allegedly concealed the actual sources and ownership of the funds and invested, transferred and converted them through various bank accounts, business entities and joint-stock companies.
 
The allegations will be examined during the trial.