The High Court has rejected the bail petitions of Abdullah Al Mamun and Munshi Sazzad Hossain, two of the accused in the case filed regarding the infamous curtain scam at Faridpur Medical College and Hospital (FMCH).
The bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain issued the order during a virtual court hearing on Tuesday.
Advocate AM Aminuddin stood for the accused, while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy General Md Basir Ullah represented the state.
Earlier on November 27, 2019, Mamunur Rashid, ACC assistant director, filed a case against three doctors, two brokers, and an administrative officer at the Faridpur Senior Special Judge’s Court in connection with the embezzlement of Tk10 crore during the purchase of curtains and instruments for FMCH.
Subsequently on January 12 this year, the High Court ordered three doctors of FMCH – Dr Gonopoti Bishshawash Shuvo, Dr Minakkhi Chakma, and Dr AHM Nurul Islam – to be sent to jail after they appealed for bail in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Kamrunnahar Begum in Faridpur.
According to the ACC case file, the FMCH authorities were accused of gross corruption in the procurement of medical machinery and materials, including buying a piece of curtain used as a bed screen for Tk37.50 lakh.
ACC sources also mentioned a Department of Human Services (DHS) report showing that the hospital authorities submitted a bill of Tk52.66 crore for buying several machines, whose actual cost was only Tk11 crore.
The report said the hospital authorities had shown the price of a bed screen used in the ICU as Tk37.50 lakh, an oxygen generating plant for Tk5.27 crore, a vacuum plant for Tk87.75 lakh, a Bispectral index (BIS) monitoring plant for Tk23.75 lakh, three digital blood pressure machines for Tk30.57 lakh, and a head cardiac stethoscope for Tk1.12 lakh.
On August 20, 2019, the High Court (HC) directed the ACC to investigate the alleged corruption at FMCH and submit a report within six months.