Satkhira Medical College Hospital: ACC sues 5 for embezzling Tk 6.06 crore

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday filed a case against former superintendent of Satkhira Medical College Hospital Sheikh Shahjahan Ali and four businessmen on charges of misappropriating Tk 6.06 crore by faking the procurement of a machine and software.

The businessmen are: Abdus Sattar Sarkar, proprietor of Mercantile Trade International, his son Jaher Uddin Sarkar, owner of Bengal Scientific and Surgical, grandson Ahsan Habib and Jaher’s brother-in-law Asadur Rahman, proprietor of Universal Trade Corporation.

The four were sued by the graft watchdog last month for allegedly misappropriating about Tk 4.49 crore during the purchase of a heavy machine for Rangpur Medical College in June last year.

According to the case statement, Shahjahan, now an officer on special duty at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Dhaka, took an initiative in 2017-18 fiscal year to buy a machine and software named Picture Archiving and Communication System without having the approval of the DGHS.

The former superintendent floated a tender and the Mercantile Trade and Bengal Scientific filed bids. Mercantile was awarded a Tk 7 crore work order for providing the machine and software.

On September 4 last year, the items were shown supplied and a bill was submitted the same day.

Shahjahan passed the bill and gave Tk 6.06 crore, the amount after deduction of VAT and income tax, to Mercantile on September 16, says the case statement.

On May 15 this year, an ACC team and an investigation team of the DGHS visited the Satkhira hospital, but did not find the machine there.