The Government Servants (Conduct) Rules state that no government employee or member of their family may open a business without official government approval. In reality, if property valued at more than Tk 250,000 (Tk 2.5 lakh) is purchased or sold, authorization is needed. But no one in the public security section of the home ministry can say for sure whether or not former police head Benazir Ahmed obtained clearance for this.
Recent investigations by the Anti-Corruption Commission have shown that Benazir Ahmed opened business companies and accumulated enormous wealth in the names of his wife and children while serving as the commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the director general of the RAB, and the inspector general of police (IGP). Public administration specialists view his purchases of land in his own name and his partnership in multiple businesses as violations of government service regulations.
Any government employee who engages in any business outside of government employment must obtain approval from the government in accordance with the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules (3 and 17). In fact, his wife and kids can’t even start business without government approval.
This kind of authorization has to be granted by the public security division of the home ministry. It was learned yesterday, Thursday, during a meeting with pertinent individuals in the secretary of the public security division’s office—two more secretaries and two joint secretaries of the relevant department—that the concerned department had no record of the home ministry having granted any such permission during Benazir Ahmed’s tenure there.
Yesterday, Thursday, this writer had a conversation with Jahangir Alam, the secretary of the public security section. He had only recently joined that position, thus he was unaware about Benazir Ahmed. But as far as he was aware, he added, if the family members were dependents of the former IGP, they had to obtain government approval before conducting business.
Benazir Ahmed served as the DMP commissioner from 2010 until 2015. Prior to 2020, he served as the RAB DG. He was IGP from 2020 until September 30, 2022. After that, he retired.
Large tracts of land, apartments, businesses, and stock in businesses are now registered in the names of Benazir Ahmed, his wife, and their three daughters, according to ACC investigations. He accumulated the majority of these throughout his time in service. This comprises the Gopalganj joint stock firm Savanna Natural Park and Farms, which was formed on May 10, 2022; Savanna Agro Limited, which was registered on March 1 of the same year; Savanna Eco Resort, which was registered on May 10; and Ekti Shishir Bindu Ltd, which was registered on April 18, 2022. At the time, Benazir was the IGP.
Meanwhile, the court has ordered the seizure of 621 bighas of land in the names of Benazir Ahmed, his wife, daughters, and relatives in response to an appeal filed by the ACC. Of this, Benazir has purchased 7.60 acres (23 bighas) of land in his own name. In 2014, 175 decimals of land on St. Martin’s Island were bought in his honor when he served as the DMP commissioner.
Mustafa Kamal Uddin served as the home ministry’s public service division secretary from 2017 until 2022. He is currently Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ chairman. Speaking with Prothom Alo yesterday, Thursday, he stated that Benazir had served as the RAB DG and then the IGP when he was the secretary of the public security division. At that point, Benazir had not obtained the necessary official approval to open a business on behalf of a government employee’s spouse or children.
Kamal Uddin Ahmed had served as the secretary of the public security section before Mustafa Kamal Uddin. He currently serves as the National Human Rights Commission’s chairperson. Speaking with Prothom Alo yesterday, Kamal Uddin Ahmed stated that Benazir Ahmed had not obtained any authorization for businesses to be created in his wife’s or children’s names even during his administration.
From 2019 until 2021, Sheikh Yusuf Harun served as the secretary of the Public Security Division. He currently serves as the prime minister’s office’s executive chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA). During his tenure, he informed Prothom Alo, he had not heard of Benazir Ahmed obtaining authorization for enterprises to be named after his family.
Zeeshan Mirza, Benazir’s wife, was a partner in Southern Business Initiative, a corporation that had acquired land under her name. As far as is known, Benazir’s wife did not work in any field during his time as a police officer. However, Benazir Ahmed stated in a video posted on his Facebook page that his position as a government employee should not prevent his family members from owning businesses and real estate when accusations of corruption surfaced. He said he had fish farms with his wife and daughters. In the video, he made no mention of whether or not these enterprises had been opened with government approval.
A government servant is not permitted to form, register, or participate in the management of a bank or other business, according to Section 16 of the Government Servant Rules. Benazir, however, was a partner in other businesses.
Two senior officials from the home ministry and the ministry of public administration, who spoke to Prothom Alo under the condition of anonymity, stated that it is clear from the accounts of Benazir Ahmed’s assets that are now coming to light that he did not feel the need to obtain permission from the government. One is required to disclose the sources of funding when requesting permission from the government to conduct business. That was not a risk he took. Ultimately, there’s no way to amass as much riches as a government servant.
Over the phone, Benazir Ahmed was unavailable for comment. It was also not possible to communicate via WhatsApp texts.
Prothom Alo was informed by AKM Abdul Awal, a former rector and secretary of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), that the former IGP’s wealth levels, as discovered by the ACC, are unusual. The government has an obligation to intervene legally if his wife and kids benefit financially from his connections in business.
