Freeze Regent Group chairman’s accounts: Bangladesh Bank asks all banks

Bangladesh Bank today asked all banks to freeze the accounts Regent Group chairman Md Shahed and accounts of his business establishments for 30 days.

The move came after a mobile court sealed off Regent Group head office and its two hospitals in Uttara and Mirpur and Rab field a case against 17 persons including Shahed on charge of Covid-19 certificate forgery.

Issuing the order to the banks, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit of the BB also sought information on Shahed's accounts and that of persons or organisations linked to him.

Meanwhile, the authorities have asked the immigration police to remain alert so that Shahed cannot leave the country.

Lt Col Ashique Billah, director of Rab's Legal and Media Wing, said they wrote to the investigation officer to take steps so that Shahed could not leave the country.

"Drive is on to arrest him," he added.

The Rab official also said they picked up Shahed's brother-in-law for interrogation.

"As he was not found involved with the hospitals and the Covid-19 certificate forgery, we released him," he said.

Rab on Tuesday night filed a case against Shahed and 16 staffers of Regent group and Regent hospitals after a mobile court found proof that the hospital authorities issued fake Covid-19 certificates and charged patients for test and treatment, violating an agreement with the government.

According to Rab, the Regent hospital authorities so far issued more than 10,000 Covid-19 test results.

Around 4,200 samples were tested in different government labs. But they threw away rest of the samples, prepared fake reports and issued those to patients without testing.

The hospital authorities took Tk 3,500 for each test, meaning they embezzled more than Tk 3.5 crore, despite having agreement with the government to conduct tests and provide treatment free of cost, Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam, who led the drive said.

Meanwhile, Directorate General of Health Services had asked hospital authorities to shut down the hospitals immediately.