Pillow scam at Rooppur plant: HC denies bail to engineer

The High Court today refused bail to a suspended assistant engineer—Md Shafiqul Islam-- of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in three cases filed over corruption in purchasing furniture and household items for officials of the plant in Pabna.

But the court issued three separate rules asking the Anti-Corruption Commission and government why Md Shafiqul Islam of Public Works Department at the plant should not be granted bail in the cases.

The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed came up with the rules after virtually holding hearing on three bail petitions filed by accused Shafiqul in connection with the cases.

ACC lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alarm Khan told The Daily Star that Shafiqul cannot be released from jail following the HC orders.

Advocate Sayeed Ahmed Raza appeared for Shafiqul and Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.

The ACC filed the case with its Pabna district office against Shafiqul and several others on December 12 last year on charges of irregularities involving Tk 26 crore in supplying furniture and household items to the officials of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, said Advocate Khurshid Alarm Khan.

Shafiqul was also arrested on the same day, he informed.                

According to several reports, the prices of various items used to furnish the project's 966 flats for the Russian engineers and others were abnormally higher than market prices.

The reports claimed that each pillow was bought for Tk 5,957, and the cost of carrying it to a flat was Tk 760. An electric stove cost Tk 7,747 and the cost of carrying it from the ground floor to the top floor was Tk 6,650. The price of an electric iron was Tk 4,154 and the carrying cost was Tk 2,945, according to the reports.