Charges framed against JKG’s Sabrina, Ariful

A  Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against eight people including JKG  Health Care Chairman Dr Sabrina Arif Chowdhury in a case filed over  issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.

The  other accused are: Sabrina's husband JKG Chief Executive Officer Ariful Chowdhury, Executive Officer Shafiqul Islam, graphic designer Humayun  Kabir Himu and four other employees – Himu's wife Tanzina Patwary,  Jebunnesa Rima, Sayeed Chowdhury and Biplob Das.

All the accused, now in jail, claimed themselves innocent  and demanded justice after Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sarafuzzzman  Ansary read out the charges to them.

Before that, the magistrate rejected the discharge petitions submitted on behalf of the accused.

The court fixed August 27 to start the trial of the case. During yesterday's hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu represented the state in the court.

Yesterday, another Dhaka court allowed the Anti-Cortuption  Commission to interrogate Sabrina and five others at jail gate for three  working days to know about their wealth acquired illegally. The other accused are: Ariful, Himu, Tanzina, Rima and her husband ASM  Sayeed Chowdhury.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Senior Special  Judge's Court of Dhaka passed the order after Selina Akhter Moni, a deputy director of the ACC and also the team leader of the enquiry  committee, submitted an application.On August 5, Md  Liakot Ali, an inspector of Detective Branch of police and also  the case's investigation officer, submitted the charge  sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.

In  the charge sheet, the IO said, as per direction of Sabrina and Ariful,  the other accused collected samples from the patients, prepared fake  Covid-19 certificates and supplied those to the patients.

Thirty-one people have been made prosecution witnesses. On  June 23, Kamal Hossain, who was given a fake Covid-19 certificate from  JKG Health Care, filed the case against Humayun, his wife Tanzina and  several unknown people with Tejgaon Police Station. The following day, police arrested the couple and three others including Ariful Chowdhury.

All the five including Ariful were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka the same day. Of  them, Humayun and his wife Tanzina gave confessional statements before a  magistrate narrating their role in issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.

Following their confessional statements, police arrested four more accused, including Sabrina on different dates.