A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced eight people including JKG Healthcare Chairperson Dr Sabrina Chowdhury and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ariful Haque Chowdhury to 10-year imprisonment each in a case for issuing fake coronavirus (Covid-19) test reports.
Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazzal Hossain convicted and sentenced the eight under three separate sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The other six convicts are-- Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, Humayun Kabir Himu, Tanjila Patwari, Biplob Das, Shafikul Islam Romeo and Jebunnesa.
The convicts were sentenced to three-year imprisonment and were fined three thousand Taka each under section 420, sentenced to four-year imprisonment and fined four thousand Taka under section 466 and were sentenced to four-year imprisonment and fined four thousand Taka each under section 471.
"The convicts supplied fake Covid-19 test reports. When the state took responsibility of conducting the tests free of cost, these convicts had played with the lives of the people through fake tests," the court said in its observation.
The court on June 29 had set today to pronounce the judgment as both the prosecution and defence concluded their arguments in the case on that day. A total of 26 witnesses out of 40 testified in the case on different hearing dates.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on August 20, 2020, framed charges against the eight accused.
The investigation officer (IO) and DB inspector Liakat Ali in the charge-sheet accused Sabrina and Ariful of being the masterminds behind the scam and the others as their cohorts.
One Kamal Hossain filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on June 15, 2020, for issuing fake Covid-19 test reports.
JKG Healthcare run by Ariful and his wife Dr Sabrina, realised money from the suspected patients for coronavirus test, whereas the company had inked a deal with the government to conduct the test free of cost.