Staff Reporter:
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an inquiry against Salman F Rahman, former adviser to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Vice-Chairman of Beximco Pharma, over allegations of embezzling Tk220 billion in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
The announcement was made by the ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain at the commission’s headquarters in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, on Monday.
“The commission has decided to probe allegations that a corrupt syndicate, including Salman F Rahman, Beximco Pharma Ltd, and others, misappropriated Tk220 billion in state funds under the guise of COVID-19 vaccine procurement,” he said.
The investigation also includes former Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Health Secretary Lokman Hossain, former Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) chairman Modasser Ali, former principal secretary to PM Ahmad Kaikaus and other officials.
According to a formal complaint submitted to the commission, irregularities were reported in the purchase of 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India.
The complaint alleges that government procurement regulations were violated as the vaccines were purchased through a tripartite agreement between the Bangladesh government, Beximco Pharma, and Serum Institute—without a competitive bidding process. Had the government dealt directly with Serum, it is claimed, it could have saved costs and secured an additional 6.8 million doses.
Beximco Pharma is accused of making a profit of Tk77 per dose after importing 70 million doses at a market price of Tk425 per dose, totalling an expenditure of approximately Tk2.97 billion by the government.
Irregularities were also highlighted in the procurement of 3.15 million doses of Sinopharm’s vaccine from China, where the price was recorded as $100 per dose, despite a government committee approving the purchase at $10 per dose.
Additionally, the complaint pointed out that the cost of government-run COVID-19 tests was significantly higher than the charges at private healthcare facilities.
The complaint also alleges that Bangladesh’s locally developed COVID-19 vaccine, Bangavax, faced repeated bureaucratic hurdles in securing approval. It claims regulatory obstacles were deliberately put in place to prevent Globe Biotech from marketing the vaccine, with approval for clinical trials intentionally delayed.
It is further claimed that the vaccine was blocked because Globe Biotech did not share its technology with Salman’s Beximco Group.
Salman F Rahman is currently in jail, facing multiple charges related to the anti-government protests that led to the fall of the Awami League government last year. He has been implicated in cases of murder across various areas of Dhaka and has undergone multiple rounds of police remand.
The ACC has also filed several cases against Salman F Rahman for illegal wealth accumulation and loan fraud.
Meanwhile, the anti-graft body filed two separate cases against former lawmaker from Jashore-6 Shaheen Chaklader and his wife, Farhan Jahan Mala, on charges of accumulating illegal wealth and misusing their state positions.
According to the case documents, Shaheen accumulated assets worth Tk42.47 crore beyond his known sources of income and transacted Tk341.62 crore through his 29 bank accounts. His wife, Mala, is accused of amassing Tk11.21 crore in illicit wealth.
