A Faridpur court has acquitted six individuals, including several doctors and engineers, in the high-profile corruption case involving the purchase of equipment for Faridpur Medical College Hospital (FMCH).
On Monday (April 6), Judge Md. Sharifuddin of the Faridpur Special Judge's Court delivered the order during the charge-framing hearing. While six were cleared of charges, the court ordered the trial to proceed against the remaining six accused.
The acquitted individuals include Dr. Mizanur Rahman and Dr. Sheikh Abdul Fattah of FMCH, engineers Md. Alamgir Fakir and Mia Mortaza Hossain, social service officer Omar Farooq, and former sub-divisional engineer Abdus Sattar.
Of the remaining six accused, two—contractor Munshi Kafrul Hossain and Dr. Barun Kanti Biswas—remain absconding. The other four, including Abdullah Al Mamun, owner of M/s Anik Traders, are currently on bail.
The case, initiated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2019, centers on allegations of attempting to embezzle Tk 10 crore during the procurement of ICU equipment in 2015. The scandal gained national notoriety after reports emerged claiming a single curtain for the ICU was priced at over Tk 37 lakh.
Defense lawyer MA Samad argued the case was "harassment," noting that the government never actually paid the contracting firms, meaning no money was embezzled. He emphasized that the equipment supplied has been providing vital services to the public for years.
