Allegations of embezzling Tk 2.75 billion in the purchase of medical equipment and furniture for Shaheed M Mansur Ali Medical College and Hospital has surfaced.
Project Director Krishna Kumar Pal, former health minister Mohammad Nasim’s Assistant Personal Secretary Mir Mosharraf Hossain and the eight contacting agencies they aided have been accused of being involved with the graft.
Mosharraf Hossain is an activist of the ruling Awami League and the director of the medical college.
As part of the investigations, the Anti Corruption Commission quizzed Project Director Krishna Kumar at its Shegunbagicha headquarters on Dec 1 for five hours.
Mosharraf Hossain meanwhile has been summoned to the offices on Jan 27 for questioning on the allegations of acquiring illegal wealth, bribery, graft and misuse of power.
Responding to queries on the matter, M Mansur Ali Medical Hospital Project Director Krishna Kumar Pal told Bangla Tribune, “There has been no graft in the purchase of equipment. Everything was done in line with the rules.”
He added that they were co-operating with the ACC investigation that launched in the middle of last year.
Mir Musharraf Hossain was unavailable for comments despite several attempts on Bangla Tribune’s part to reach him.
According to people familiar with the matter, the grafts watchdog found proof of graft after analysing at least 23 documents related to the project.
In March of 2014, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated five medical college hospitals across the country including the one in Sirajganj.
ACC sources said that eight contracting agencies were given the tender for the ‘Shaheed M Mansur Ali Foundation Project’ funded by the government and supervised by the Public Works Division.
The expenditure of the project was initially Tk 6. 37 billion but later another Tk 2.87 billion was allocated to it.
Sources said that the extra expenditure was attributed to the purchase of 60 machines including ICU and CCU units. However, Tk 2.55 billion was reportedly embezzled in the name of machines and Tk 200 million for furniture.