The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has barred the chairman of JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd Abdur Razzak and six officials of the Central Medicine Stores Depot (CMSD) from leaving the country as part of an ongoing investigation on supplying fake N-95 Masks for the use of healthcare professionals.
ACC Secretary Md Dilwar Bhakt disclosed the information told journalists at the ACC headquarters on Monday.
He said, "We asked the police and the immigration department to take necessary measures so that the accused of N-95 Mask scam couldn't flee the country."
The six CMSD officials are -- Deputy Director Dr Zakir Hossen, Assistant Director (storage and distribution) Dr Shahjahan Sarker, Chief Coordinator and Desk Officer Ziaul Haque, medical officer in Jamalpur Shabbir Ahmed, Store Officer (LPR) Kabir Ahmed and Senior Storekeeper Yousuf Fakhir.
The ACC on September 29 arrested JMI Chairman Abdur Razzak. An ACC team led by its Director Mir Zoynul Abedin Shibly arrested Razzak was from Segunbagicha area of the capital.
Later in the day, a Dhaka court placed him on a 5-day remand over the allegations of supplying fake N-95 masks.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate KM Imrul Kayesh passed the order after hearing from ACC Deputy Director Nurul Huda who is also the investigation officer of the case.
Earlier ACC grilled him over the supply of 20,000 fake N-95 masks to 10 hospitals which were exposed by the directors of those hospitals as they expressed grievance over the masks that exposed serious health hazards.
Additionally, ACC filed a case against 7 people including Abdur Razzak and six others on the allegations of embezzling money over the supply of the fake N-95 masks.
Since June 10, the ACC has investigated the allegations of embezzling cores of money and acquiring illegal wealth by the officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) by supplying fake masks, downgraded PPE and other gadgets in hospitals.
The ACC on August 12 and 13 also interrogated former director-general of DGHS Dr Abul Kalam Azad over various corruption allegations including acquiring illegal wealth and purchasing lower grade PPE and other healthcare gadgets.
sh/teb
