Fake covid certificates: JKG’s Sabrina, 7 others given 11 years in jail
A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced Sabrina Sharmin Hossain, chairperson of JKG Health Care, and seven others to 11 years of rigorous imprisonment in a case filed over issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.
The seven others are Ariful Chowdhury, Sabrina's husband and JKG's chief executive officer, Shafiqul Islam Romeo, its executive officer, Humayun Kabir Himu, its graphic designer, and staffers Tanzina Patwary, Jebunnesa Rima, ASM Sayeed Chowdhury and Biplob Das.
Tofazzal Hossain, additional chief metropolitan magistrate in Dhaka, handed down the sentences to the convicts in a packed courtroom.
The accused were also fined Tk 11,000 each, in default of which they will have to serve 11 more months in jail.
The sentences were handed to the accused on three separate charges.
Three years' imprisonment and a Tk 3,000 fine each, in default of which they would serve three more months in jail, were on charges of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
Another four years' imprisonment and a Tk 4,000 fine were on charges of forgery of public documents. If they fail to pay the fine, they have to serve four months more in jail.
Another four-year imprisonment and fine of Tk 4,000 were on charges of using forged documents.
The punishments will be given consecutively, said the magistrate.
However, the judgment said the time the convicts have already spent in jail would be deducted from their sentences.
According to the verdict, JKG Health Care was set up two months before the Directorate General of Health Services gave it the approval of collecting samples to test for Covid-19 even though the organisation had no prior experience in this regard.
Violating all rules and regulations, it collected samples from people and supplied Covid-19 certificates without running tests.
The court, in its observations, said the accused do not deserve mercy as they "played with peoples' lives" for illegal gains.
Upon hearing the verdict in court, Sabrina expressed shock at the sentence's length.
"I wasn't the chairman so how could I get such a punishment? … I knew what was going to happen but I didn't anticipate the extent [of the punishment]."
While she has been denying her chairmanship since her arrest two years ago, all documents submitted to the court say otherwise, sources said.
Abdullah Abu, public prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan area, was satisfied with the verdict and hoped the higher court will uphold it.
On June 23, 2020, Kamal Hossain, who was given a fake Covid-19 certificate from JKG Health Care, filed a case against Humayun, his wife Tanzina and several unknown people with Tejgaon Police Station.
Md Liakot Ali, an inspector of Detective Branch of police, on August 5 submitted a charge sheet in this regard to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.
On August 20, another Dhaka court framed charges against Sabrina and seven others in the case.
Later, the health ministry suspended Sabrina from the post of registrar at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases for violating service rules.
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