Charge framing hearing against DGHS ex-DG, 5 others on Apr 7

A court has fixed April 7 for charge framing hearing in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against former director general (DG) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Abul Kalam Azad and five others. 

Acting Judge Nazrul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-6 passed the order on Wednesday.

The charge framing hearing was not held today as Judge Md Asifuzzaman of the court is on leave.  

On February 22, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Qayesh accepted the charge-sheet filed by investigation officer (IO) and ACC deputy director Farid Ahmed Patwari. The IO on September 30, 2021, filed the charge-sheet in the case.

The other accused are Regent Group chairman Md Shahed alias Shahed Karim, former DGHS director Aminul Hasan, deputy director Dr Md Eunus Ali, assistant director Dr Md Shafiur Rahman and research officer Dr Md Didarul Islam. 

After accepting the charge-sheet, the court transferred the case to Dhaka Special Judge Court-6 for further hearing. 

The ACC filed the case on September 23, 2020, against five. Though initially Azad’s name was not there in the list of accused, later his name was included in the charge-sheet as the IO found his involvement during his investigation. 

According to the case documents, the accused under mutual agreement turned the unregistered and out of operation Regent Hospital into a Covid-dedicated hospital and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). 

They arranged testing samples of 3,939 people for Covid-19 at National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) free of cost, whereas they realized Taka 3,500 from each person as test fee and embezzled Taka 1,37,86,500 in this way. 

They are also accused of submitting bills for Taka 1, 96, 20,000 as food allowance for doctors, nurses, ward boys and other officials and staff of Regent Hospital's Uttara and Mirpur branches.