Finish inquiry against health sector contractor Motazzerul Mithu: HC to ACC

The High Court today ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission to finish the inquiry against health sector contractor Motazzerul Islam Mithu and submit a probe report in this regard as early as possible.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why the lower court order that exonerated Mithu from a corruption case should not be declared illegal.

The order was issued following a writ petition filed against the lower court order, Chanchal Kumar Biswas, a lawyer for the writ petitioner, told The Daily Star.

Mithu is reportedly one of the most corrupt contractors in the health sector. He did not supply equipment worth Tk 450 crore to Suhrawardy Hospital, although he withdrew all the money allocated for the equipment. He also supplied substandard equipment to many hospitals, said the lawyer citing the writ petition.

Mithu, who is now in Canada, has properties in the USA and Canada.

The ACC on May 10, 2016, filed a corruption case against him with Banani Police Station for not submitting the wealth statement. But, in 2018, the commission in a final report to the trial court dropped the charges against him

Mithu is a regular tax payer and was ignorant about submitting the wealth statement, said ACC in the final report which Dhaka's Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court accepted on April 17, 2018.

Md Moniruzzaman, a resident of Banasree area, filed the writ petition with the HC on October 15 last year, challenging the lower court's order of exemption.

During hearing yesterday, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the HC that the commission is conducting an inquiry into the corruption allegation against Mithu following a legal notice issued by the writ petitioner earlier.