DB detains DU official over mask scam
Police arrested Dhaka University assistant registrar Sharmin Jahan, owner of Aparajita International Company, on Friday evening after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University authorities prosecuted her for supplying substandard masks to the BSMMU hospital.
A team of detectives arrested Sharmin from a location in the capital in the case lodged with Shahbagh police station by BSMMU authorities, Dhaka Metropolitan Police detective branch deputy commissioner (Lalbagh) Rajib Al Masud confirmed New Age without giving further details.
Sharmin Jahan, an assistant registrar at Dhaka University and the proprietor of the Aparajita International, was also former president of Bangladesh Chhatra League at Kuwait Maitry Hall unit in 2002.
The BSMMU proctor physician Syed Mozaffor Ahmed on Thursday filed the case against Sharmin Jahan with the allegation of cheating and dishonestly inducing deliver of property, and criminal breach of trust while the Anti-Corruption Commission was already investigating allegations of supplying fake N95 masks to the government hospitals.
Shahbagh police station officer-in-charge Abul Hasan said that the case was filed with the police station on Thursday.
The police registered the case against Sharmin under Sections 406 and 420 of the Penal Code while the complaint stated that the crime was committed between June 27 and July 13.
In the complaint, the BSMMU proctor said the university needed to procure face masks for COVID-19 patients.
The university authorities ‘verbally’ asked a few suppliers to submit their samples for primary selection following a meeting chaired by the university vice-chancellor.
After receiving the samples from two companies, including one from Aparajita International, the authorities sent the samples to the government-approved Dycine International Limited, which conducted breathing test, examined particulate filtration efficiency, splash resistance and bacterial filtration efficiency.
On June 23, the samples provided by the Aparajita International were found comparably better and the company submitted it quotation for price.
The university authorities on June 27 issued a work order to the Aparajita for 11,000 pieces of face masks.
The complaint stated that the Aparajita International supplied 3,460 out of 11,000 pieces of masks between June 30 and July 13 in four phases and found those substandard, besides many torn and counterfeit ones during authentication.
It said products shipped from US could not bear wrong spelling.
The proctor said in the case statement that Aparajita’s Sharmin was served a show cause notice on July 18 and, she replied on July 20 expressing her regret over the fact that the supplied items were not up to the mark.
Sharmin dismissed the allegation and told New Age on Friday evening that it was a conspiracy against her business as people was now focussing on her political affiliation instead of her social engagement.
She admitted that she did not take any permission from the Dhaka University to run her enterprise as long as many of her fellows were openly and covertly involved with different business stakes.
‘The syndicates are involved in looting crores of money from the health sector,’ she concluded.
Dhaka University proctor AKM Golam Rabbani on Friday told New Age that ‘the business run by the assistant registrar was her personal issue and the university had nothing to do with that.’
DU registrar Enamuzzman, however, said that they were totally unaware whether Sharmin was involved in any kind of businesses as it was illegal to do so for any full-time employee.
He also added that even if anyone wanted to do a part-time job, he or she would need permission, sometimes from the university syndicate, the highest decision-making body of the university.
He said that the university authorities would take necessary actions against her if she is proven guilty.
Shahbagh police station investigating officer inspector (investigation) Mahabubur Rahman said that they neither raided the house of the suspect who live in Dhaka University campus, nor arrested the suspect.
The incident occurred when a slew of scams came to light after government drives at hospitals engaged in issuing fake COVID-19 certificates and other irregularities.
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police also unearthed Regent Group chairman Md Shahed’s involvement in the supply of thousands of substandard personal protection gear to the country’s health sector through his Facebook-based company.
The Anti-Corruption Commission was investigating similar allegations against JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd chairman Abdur Razzak, Toma Construction and Co Ltd (medical team) Coordinator Matiur Rahman, Allan Corporation Limited chairman Aminul Islam Amin, among others, for supplying substandard masks, PPEs, and other health equipment for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Earlier on June 18, the ACC formed a four-member team led by ACC director Zainul Abedin Shibli to fully investigate the allegations of irregularities, corruption, fraud, and forgery in the procurement of various protective materials, including N-95 masks and other personal protective equipment.
ACC officials said that it made a list of over 100 people involved in various corruptions and irregularities in the health sector as the mismanagement in the sector had been in discussion since the beginning of the novel coronavirus crisis.
It made the list after initiating an inquiry into the scam of providing fake N95 masks and PPEs to different government hospitals by some contractor firms, said an ACC director general.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
