ACC imposes travel ban on seven mask scam suspects

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has barred seven suspects accused of supplying ‘low-quality’ N95 masks for health workers amid the coronavirus pandemic from travelling abroad.

The move aims to stop suspects from fleeing the country, said ACC Secretary Md Dilwar Bakth at a press conference at the watchdog’s offices on Monday.

“We have received information from reliable sources that the suspects could flee abroad,” he said adding that “We have sent a letter to the immigration branch of the police to take necessary steps to prevent them from leaving the country.”

The suspects include JMI Group founder and Managing Director Abdur Razzaq, former deputy director of the government’s Central Medical Stores Depot or CMSD Zakir Hossain, Assistant Director (Administration) Md Shahjahan, desk officers Ziaul Haque and Sabbir Ahmed, store officer Kabir Ahmed and senior storekeeper Yusuf Fakir.

Nurul Huda, the ACC deputy director, started the case with its Dhaka-1 unit on September 29.

Razzaq was arrested on that day in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha. The ACC has begun to question him in custody for five days.

JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd, a unit of JMI Group, is at the heart of the controversy.

On Jun 15, the ACC brought together a four-member team led by Zainul Abedin Shebly to look into complaints over the purchase and supply of low-quality N95 masks, PPEs and other health safety equipment amid the pandemic outbreak to the government.

The work orders for CMSD included five million N-95 masks. Approximately 20,610 masks were distributed among 10 medical institutions, including government hospitals and clinics, before complaints began pouring in.

The investigators interrogated the seven suspects and several others over the complaints and the case was started after three months of investigation.