The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved a lawsuit against six people on allegation of embezzling Tk 100 million during the purchase of curtains and instruments for Faridpur Medical College Hospital (FMCH).
The approval came at a meeting of the graft watchdog at its headquarters in Dhaka's Segunbagicha on Tuesday (Nov 26), said ACC spokesperson Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee.
Those face the allegation are Abdullah Al Mamun, proprietor of MS Anik Traders, Munshi Farukh Hossain, proprietor of MS Ahmed Enterprise, Munshi Sazzad Hossain, an official of the hospital, Associate Professor (dental) Dr Gonopoti Bishshawash, former Junior Consultant Dr Minakkhi Chakma, and former Pathologist Dr AHM Nurul Islam.
On Aug 20, the High Court directed the ACC to investigate the alleged corruption in FMCH and report to it within six months.
Later, the graft watchdog interrogated 13 doctors over the curtain scam.
According to the ACC case file, the FMCH authorities were accused of gross corruption in the procurement of medical machinery and materials, including buying a piece of curtain used as a bed screen for Tk 3.75 million.
ACC sources also mentioned a Department of Human Services (DHS) report showing that the hospital authorities submitted a bill of Tk 526.6 million for buying several machines, whose actual cost was only Tk 110 million.
The report said the hospital authorities had shown the price of a bed screen used in the ICU as Tk 3.75 million, an oxygen generating plant for Tk 52.7 million, a vacuum plant for Tk 8.78 million, a BAEES monitoring plant for Tk 2.38 million, three digital blood pressure machines for Tk 3.06 million, and a head cardiac stethoscope for Tk 112,000.