Suspended DGHS official on 14-day remand in two money cases

A Dhaka court today placed Abzal Hossain, a suspended accountant of the medical education department under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), on a 14-day remand in connection with two money cases.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Senior Special Judge's Court passed the order after Anti-Corruption Commission Deputy Director Md Towfiqul Islam, also the investigation officer of the cases, produced him before the court with a 20-day remand prayer.

In the remand prayer, the IO said the accused amassed large sums of money and needs to be remanded to know the sources of his income.

On the other hand, defence submitted two separate petitions seeking cancellation of the remand prayers.

After hearing both sides, the judge issued the remand order.

On August 26, Abzal was sent to jail after he surrendered before the court, seeking bail in the cases.

On June 27 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commissionfiled the two cases with ACC Integrated District Office-1 of Dhaka 1.

The first case was filed against Abzal and his wife Rubina Khanam on charges of  laundering money worth Tk 263,76,81,175, concealing information of wealth worth Tk 5,90,28,926 and amassing wealth worth Tk 1,51,23,044 beyond known sources of income.

ACC filed the other case against Abzal on charges of laundering money worth Tk 20,74,32,032, concealing information of wealth worth Tk 2,01,19,785 and amassing wealth worth Tk 4,79,34,449 beyond known sources of income.

Although Abzal was a fourth-grade government employee, his five houses, including one in Uttara, several plots, and a house abroad, were inconsistent with his legal income, said a letter issued by the health ministry on January 13 last year.

The health ministry suspended Abzal on charges of corruption on January 14.

On January 21 last year, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court ordered confiscation of all properties owned by Abzal and his wife, a stenographer of the Medical Education and Health Manpower Development Project under DGHS, and freezing all of their bank accounts.

On March 18, ACC confiscated Abzal's five-storey building, Tamanna Villa, located on road 11 of sector- 13 in Uttara.