The High Court on Tuesday directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to submit the progress report on its inquiry into the allegations of amassing a large amount of wealth beyond known sources of income by former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed.
The anti-graft body has been asked to submit the progress report, if any, after two months.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadoth Hossain passed the order after hearing a writ petition that was filed seeking its directive upon the ACC to conduct an inquiry into the corruption allegations against Benazir.
Supreme Court lawyer Md Salah Uddin recently filed the writ petition with the High Court challenging the inaction of the ACC in taking action against Benazir.
Barrister M Sarwar Hossain appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the writ petitioner, while Senior Advocates Shah Monjurul Hoque and Sayed Ahmed Raza represented the former IGP and Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC.
Writ petitioner's lawyer M Sarwar Hossain said, "We have been noticed that the ACC has already formed a body for inquiry the allegations. However, we have apprehension considering precedents that the ACC has given clean certificates to ten thousand people so far. That is why we want judicial involvement in the ACC actions on the matter."
However, Benazir's lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque said, "The Anti-Corruption Commission has already initiated its proceedings to conduct inquiry into the allegations against former Inspector General of Police. So the purpose of the writ petitioner has already been served."
The lawyer then prayed to the court not to issue any rule following the writ petition, adding that HC's such intervention may hamper the independent inquiry by the ACC.
ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said allegations against Benazir is serious and after considering the allegations the ACC has already approved investigating into it on April 18. The commission has formed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations, the ACC lawyer also informed the court.
Upon hearing the parties the HC bench passed its order.
In its observation the HC said, "India enacted Declaration of Assets Act for the public servants. The public servants in India have to submit their wealth statements of their entry and retirement periods as per the law. If the difference of wealth of these two periods becomes more than 10 percent than the officials concerned have to face legal action. However, we could not able to enact such kind of law till now."
A Bengali newspaper of the country recently published a series of reports on amassing wealth by former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed.
The reports describe that Benazir has accumulated huge properties which are not consistent with his income as a civil servant. Since then, the former IGP became the talk of the country for a few days.
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