The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed four cases against 25 people on charges of corruption at Azimpur Maternity and Child Health Training Institute.
Besides, the ACC has also imposed a travel ban on the accused.
The national anti-graft agency has instructed immigration police to remain alert so that the 25 persons, among whom is Azimpur maternity and child health training institute caretaker Israt Jahan, cannot leave the country.
The hospital, which is under the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), was established in 1953.
A letter from the ACC on Wednesday instructed immigration police to take necessary measures in this regard. The move was confirmed by ACC Deputy Director Abu Bakar Siddique. Four separate cases were filed by the ACC with its Integrated District Office-1 yesterday.
Earlier, following primary investigations, the anti-graft watchdog found that the accused had misappropriated Tk5.21crore in the name of purchases of medicines, surgical instruments and pathology items at a price two to three times higher than the market price.
ACC Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, confirming the filing of the lawsuit, told Dhaka Tribune that there had been four separate corruption cases filed over allegations of procurement over the past four fiscal years.
According to the case statement, 17 doctors and 8 public and private officials were charged in the case. Of them, Ismat Jahan, caretaker of Azimpur Maternity and Child Health Training Institute, was charged in four cases.
Among the accused in the case are; Parvin Haque, former principal of the Family Welfare Inspection Training Institute and member of the Tender Evaluation Committee; Mahfuza Khatun, former senior member of Matters Co-ordinator and co-convener of the committee (Training and Research); Chinmoy Kanti Das, member of the evaluation committee; Saiful Islam, a former medical officer and a member of the tender evaluation committee, and Mahfuza Dilara Akhter, Medical Officer and member of the market verification committee.
The other accused are: Maternity Medical Officer and Market Rate Verification Committee Member Nazrina Begum; Administrative Officer and Member Secretary (Market Rate Verification Committee) Zahirul Islam; Principal of Family Welfare Inspection Training Institute and Tender Evaluation Committee Member Zebunnesa Hossain; Senior Consultant (gynaecology) Roushon Hosne Jahan; Director of Directorate General of Family Planning Lutful Kabir Khan; medical officer and tender evaluation committee member Roshan Jahan; Deputy Director of Social Services Department Halima Khatun; Divisional Head of maternity and member of the market rate verification committee Amir Hochaine; former social service officer and member of Marketplace Verification Committee Raisa Khatun and Social Services Officer Mizanur Rahman.
In addition, Assistant Director of the Family Planning Directorate Kazi Golam Ahsan; senior Health Education Officer Nasir Uddin; junior consultant (child) Nadira Afroz; Deputy Program Manager of Family Planning Directorate Nasir Uddin; Social Services Officer Bilkis Akhter and Medical Officer Alea Ferdousi have also been charged.
Among the contractors, the owner of Monarch Establishment, Fatema Noor Islam; owner of Nafisa Business Corner, Sheikh Idris Uddin (Chanchal) and owner of Santona Traders, Nizamur Rahman Chowdhury have been accused in the case.
According to the case statement, the anti-graft body conducted investigations against some of them in the period FY2014-15 to FY2017-18.
The investigation team found that the accused had made payments of Tk 32,91,720 to the contractor who supplied the medicine, whereas the retail price of the medicine as per rules of the Department of Drug Administration, is Tk16,45,298.
