2 Hospital projects: Three sued for embezzling Tk 43.67 crore

A staffer of Tejgaon Health Complex in connivance with two businesspeople misappropriated about Tk 43.67 crore by producing fake bills for two projects, found a probe by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

They submitted seven fake vouchers to the chief accounts and finance officer (CAFO) of the health ministry that disbursed the money.

The money was embezzled from Shaheed M Monsur Ali Medical College and Hospital project and Sheikh Sayera Khatun Medical College and Hospital project.

The forgery was discovered when project officials input bills data through iBAS++, an integrated Budget and Accounting System of the government.

The CAFO office on September 15 filed two complaints with Ramna Police Station, which later forwarded those to the ACC as the matter was related to graft.

After conducting an enquiry, an ACC deputy director yesterday filed two cases with its integrated district office against the "cash sarkar" of Tejgaon Thana Health Complex, Anisur Rahman, proprietor of M Jahan Traders Mohsin Ali, and owner of Green Traders Mahfuz Huda Saikat.

According to the case statements, Anisur produced the bills dated June 12, June 19 and June 20 before the CAFO office even though he did not have any legal authority to do so.

The office approved the bills without proper scrutiny, sources said.

Contacted, Ansiur, a grade-13 officer, admitted that he did not have the authority to submit the bills to the CAFO.

"Since I have good links with staffers at the CAFO office, they [businesspeople] asked me for help to submit the bills."

He said he became acquainted with the businesspeople during the Covid vaccination programme at the Tejgaon Health Complex.

"I didn't know that the bills were fake… I fell into a trap," Anisur claimed.

The bills were supposed to be produced by the "cash sarkars" of the respective hospitals, but Anisur used his influence at the CAFO to get those approved.

The Daily Star could not reach Mohsin and Mahfuz for comments.

In August 2020, the ACC filed a case against the project director of Shaheed M Mansur Ali Medical College and Hospital project in Sirajganj, Krishna Kumar Pal, over anomalies in procurement worth about Tk 30 crore.