DGHS’ Abzal Hossain sent to jail
A Dhaka court on Wednesday sent Md Abzal Hossain, suspended accounts officer of the Directorate General of Health Services (medical education), to jail in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The court of senior special judge KM Imrul Kayes passed the order when Abzal surrendered to the court with a bail plea.
The court sent him to the jail rejecting his bail plea, Abzal’s lawyer Shahinur Islam told Prothom Alo.
According to the ACC, the government employee owns at least 24 residential plots and flats in the country. The market value of these assets is over Tk 10 billion.
His wife Rubina Khanam is a former stenographer at the DGHS' education and public health wing.
Court sources said the ACC on 22 January 2019 froze the bank accounts of Abzal and his wife Rubina Khanam and transfer of any property and money as per the court order.
Rubina Khanam did business with the DGHS as an owner of Rahman Trade International.
Abzal was suspended following the allegation of corruption against him.
His salary is not more than Tk 30,000, but he rides a Harrier and owns five houses in Dhaka's Uttara in his and his wife’s names. He has also been able to buy a house in Sydney, Australia.
On 27 June last year, the ACC filed a lawsuit against him. Since then he went into hiding.
As part of its investigation, ACC quizzed Abzal on 10 January last year. Though the anti-graft body summoned Rubina on 17 January that year, she plead for time. Earlier, the ACC issued an embargo on Abzal and Rubina’s going abroad.
Born in Faridpur, Abzal passed HSC exams in 1992. In 1995, he joined as a temporary office assistant at a DGHS project to establish five medical colleges at the recommendation of then health minister Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf.
When the project was transferred to the revenue department, Abzal joined as an office assistant at Faridpur Medical College. From there he was transferred as cashier at Comilla Medical College. Later, he joined at DGHS. Though. He was transferred to Satkhira, he returned to Dhaka in two months.
Abzal’s wife Rubina Khanam joined as stenographer at Comilla Medical College in 1998. But she resigned from there in 2000 and set up her business firm Rahman Trade International. Concerned people said the couple opened the firm to do monopoly business with DGHS.
Though Abzal joined as an office assistant, he became an influential person of the DGHS in a very short time. Though he was appointed during the BNP-government, he remained equally powerful in the tenures of all the governments, the concerned people say.
He was involved with appointment and transfer business, controlling tender process, contractors and realising bills without completing works. Through this he has gained a huge wealth, the DGHS officials allege.