HC upholds JMI Chairman’s bail
Earlier on 15 October 2020, Dhaka's Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court granted bail to Razzak
The High Court on Tuesday upheld a bail order granted to Md Abdur Razzak, chairman of JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd, in a case filed on charge of supplying fake N95 masks to the Central Medical Store Depot (CMSD).
The virtual High Court bench of Justices Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order after the hearing.
According to his lawyer, the bail will remain in force until the trial is over.
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Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had filed the case against Abdur Razzak, former deputy director of Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) Zakir Hossain Khan and seven others for allegedly supplying 20,000 fake N-95 masks to 10 hospitals.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan stood for ACC while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state alongside Assistant Attorney Generals Mahjabin Rabbani Dipa and Anna Khanam Kali.
Earlier on 15 October 2020, Dhaka's Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court granted bail to Razzak.
JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd was accused of supplying fake N-95 masks to several government hospitals, including Mugda General Hospital in the capital, through the CMSD towards the beginning of the pandemic.
A writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking directions to investigate the scam and take action against those who were involved.
Later, the Ministry of Health formed a committee to investigate the incident.
Through two consignments, JMI supplied 20,600 pieces of masks to CMSD. An inspection of the CMSD revealed that the masks were not N-95 masks.
The then CMSD director Brig Gen Mohammad Shahidullah directed JMI Hospital Requisite Manufacturing Ltd to respond within 48 hours in this regard.
In response, the company said that the masks were in the 'development stage' and that they had been sent by mistake.
In a letter, MD Abdur Razak said that considering the 'situation' of the country he would take the masks back and wanted to get rid of the liability for 'unintentional mistakes.'
However, many physicians were infected with coronavirus because of these low-quality masks and PPE. Later, the ACC also interrogated Abdur Razzak.
