Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated an inquiry into an alleged embezzlement of Tk 22,000 crore in Covid-19 vaccine procurement, implicating a syndicate that includes Salman F Rahman, vice chairman of BeximcoPharma and also former Member of Parliament from Dhaka-1 constituency.
On the other hand, the anti-graft watchdog has filed two separate cases against former lawmaker Shahin Chakladar and his wife, Farhana Jahan Mala, for illegally acquiring assets worth Tk 53.67 crore.
ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain (prevention) confirmed the matters while speaking to journalists on Monday at commission Segunbagicha headquarter.
The complaint submitted to the ACC by Moidul Islam, an official of the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC), states that Beximco Pharma was included as a supplier in the procurement of three crore doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India.
It alleged that government procurement rules were not followed in the vaccine purchase agreement between the Bangladesh government, Beximco, and the Serum Institute.
Beximco was included as a third party in the import process without a valid reason, leading Bangladesh to purchase the vaccine at a higher price than other countries.
The complaint further claimed that if the government had procured the vaccine directly from the Serum Institute, the savings per dose could have been used to secure an additional 6.8 million doses.
Beximco Pharmaceuticals reportedly made a profit of Tk77 per dose after covering all other expenses.
Back on 12 August 2022, the then health minister Zahid Maleque said that the Awami League government, until then, had spent around Tk40,000 crore on purchasing Covid-19 vaccines and other vaccination-related expenses.
The complaint alleged that a syndicate, led by Salman and Zahid, embezzled at least Tk22,000 crore in connection with the Covid-19 vaccine procurement.
Regarding the allegations, ACC official Akhtar said, “It is not possible to provide details on how these funds were embezzled at this moment. We will share further information after the investigation.”
Senior Awami League leader Salman owns the Beximco Group and previously served as the private industry affairs adviser to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
He was arrested after the Awami League government was toppled in the mass uprising led by students in August last year. He has been accused in multiple cases.
In the filed cases, Shahin has been accused of acquiring illegal wealth worth Tk 42.47 crore. Additionally, he allegedly conducted suspicious transactions amounting to Tk 341.62 crore in 29 bank accounts under his name.
Meanwhile, Farhana has been accused of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 11.20 crore.
