The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against seven individuals, including former director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Abul Kalam Azad and Dr Sabrina Sharmin, chairperson of JKG Health Care, in connection with a health sector scam during the Covid-19 pandemic.
ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya filed the case with the commission’s Integrated District Office-1 on Wednesday.
The other five accused are Sabrina's husband and JKG Health Care Managing Director Ariful Chowdhury, two JKG staff members ASM Saeed Chowdhury and Humayun Kabir alias Himu, Tanzina Patwari, and JKG Health Care Proprietor Zebunnesa Rima.
According to the case statement, Dr Sabrina Sharmin Hussain, while working as registrar of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), allegedly used her position to benefit financially through JKG Health Care, a for-profit corporation, without permission from the authorities.
She, along with the DGHS director general and others, allegedly facilitated her husband Ariful Chowdhury's Oval Group-owned JKG Health Care, which lacked proper registration and a trade license, to collect Covid-19 samples for Tk5,000 to Tk8,000 each.
Prof Abul Kalam Azad, former director general (DG) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), had allowed JKG Health Care to enjoy unlawful advantages in order to obtain illegal benefits for himself.
When coronavirus was first reported in Bangladesh, JKG Health Care started collecting samples from the suspected patients in exchange of money. They provided fake certificates using the government logo without testing the samples and embezzled money through fraudulent activities.
When Prof Azad was notified about the matter, he did not take the necessary action.
Former DGHS chief Azad gets permanent bail in Regent Hospital scam caseThe commission found that Dr Sabrina and her husband Ariful Chowdhury instructed their staff to collect Covid-19 samples without DGHS approval.
They reportedly prepared approximately 15,460 fake reports without properly testing the samples and embezzled Tk11,690,007 through fake Covid-19 certificates, depositing the amount in their bank accounts.
The case file also reveals that Dr Sabrina currently has two national identity cards in circulation, both using the name “Sabrina Sharmin Hossain” but with different Bangla spellings.
Her father's name remains the same on both cards, but her mother's name differs — Kishore Jasmine on one and Jasmine Hussain on the other. The husband's name also varies — RH Haque on one and Ariful Chowdhury on the other.
Additionally, her birth year is listed as 1978 on one NID and 1983 on the other.
Her permanent and current addresses also differ between the cards, as do her listed professions — doctor on one and government official on the other.
Despite these discrepancies, the signatures on both NIDs are the same.
The commission further discovered that Dr Sabrina used one of the NID cards to extend her tenure by five years for mala fide purposes.
