Shawdesh Desk;

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday filed a case against seven people, including former director general of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Abul Kalam Azad and JKG Health Care chairperson Sabrina Sharmin Hossain, on charges of cheating people by preparing fake Covid-19 test reports.

ACC assistant director Afnan Jannat Keya filed the case with the commission’s Integrated District Office-1 in Dhaka, said ACC public relations officer Aktarul Islam.

The other five people include Sabrina’s husband and JKG Health Care managing  director Ariful Chowdhury, two staff members of JKG ASM Sayeed Chowdhury and Humayun Kabir alias Himu, Tanzina Patwari, and JKG Health Care proprietor Zebunnesa Rima.

According to the case statement, Sabrina, while working as a registrar in the Cardiac Surgery Department of the National Heart Institute, benefited financially by using her identity as the chairman of JKG Health Care without the permission of the authority.

She, with the help of other accused, including the then DG, helped her husband Ariful Chowdhury’s JKG Health Care get permission to collect samples of Covid-19, despite the organisation having no experience, no registration, and no trade licence.

Following the instructions of Sabrina and her husband Ariful, their office staff went door to door and took approximately Tk 5,000 to 8,000 as a test fee for each test of Covid-19 and prepared fake and forged reports without properly conducting tests.

ACC also found that Tk 1.16 crore was deposited in the bank accounts of Oval Group, which is the owner of JKG Health Care and its affiliate, Velbil Security Services Pvt Ltd. The money was collected through Covid-19 tests.

Furthermore, Sabrina altered her date of birth to prepare two active national identity cards for cheating and forgery.

Opening two different TIN numbers with it and making the actual date of birth 1978 to 1983 by giving false information to her workplace, extending her tenure up to five years, and taking benefits.

The accused, working as public servants, abused their power through a criminal breach of trust and prepared false reports of the Covid-19 tests and fake reports of around 15,460 for fraud and deception.

The fake test report was provided to service recipients, deceiving the people during the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

Sabrina, who was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment in a case filed over delivering a false report of Covid-19, was granted bail by the High Court on June 5, 2023.

On June 23, 2020, JKG Healthcare was raided and sealed, and a case was filed with Tejgaon police station against six people, including Ariful Chowdhury, for providing fake Covid-19 test reports.

Police arrested Ariful and five other employees of the organisation on the same day. Sabrina was arrested on July 12, 2020, after police were informed of her alleged involvement.

Amid severe criticism and scams related to Covid-19 tests, Professor Abul Kalam Azad stepped down as the DG of the DGHS in July 2020.