Staff Reporter :
Police on Sunday detained JKG Health Care chairman and country’s most talked about personality Dr Sabrina Arif Chowdhury in connection with issuing thousands of fake Covid-19 certificates.
After arrest, she was questioned by police yesterday afternoon but she did not give any satisfactory answer, DMP’s Tejgaon division DC Harun-Ur-Rashid told the media.
Later, Dr Sabrina was shown arrested in a case filed over the matter after her link with JKG fraud was found in investigation, the DC said.
Earlier, she denied of being the chairperson of JKG which provided thousands of fake Covid-19 reports without conducting any test of the collected samples. Even she said she didn’t have any more relation with JKG CEO Arif as she sent him divorce letter.
On Saturday, Sabrina also claimed that she had earlier informed the Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) about the fraudulence.
Although she claimed not to be the chairperson of the company, police said her arrested husband Ariful provided details information about her involvement in the nefarious act. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry on Sunday suspended Dr Sabrina Arif Chowdhury for her alleged connection with the case.
The ministry on Sunday issued the suspension order signed by Md Abdul Mannan, secretary of the ministry.
“Being a government employee, Dr Sabrina has remained in the post of Chairperson of JKG Health Care without taking permission from the ministry and embezzled money,” the letter said, adding she was suspended as her acts were punishable according to Government Employee Act 2018.
Dr Sabrina came to the spotlight soon after their company’s false corona report scam surfaced.
Earlier, the CEO of the organization and Sabrina’s husband Arif Chowdhury and six others were sent to jail on deception charges. But Sabrina was out of touch.
She claimed her innocence in an interview with a TV channel and said she was not the chairperson of the JKG.
She said firmly that there was no question to be JKG top person. “Rather it’s a sister concern of the Oval Company. The Oval Group is a privately-owned company and Arifur Rahman is its owner.”
Sabrina used to take part directly in the activities of JKG which cheated people in the name of collecting corona samples and tests those for about three months. At that time, she also gave interviews to various media by introducing herself as the JKG chairperson.
Sabrina also denied that she did not help Arif manage different contracts and jobs. “It’s a blatant lie. Now let the allegations be proved,” she further said.
It is mentionable that JKG has been issuing Covid-19 certiicates without conducting test that prompted police to detain Sabrina’s husband and CEO of the establishment.
Police came to know that JKG Health Care, a non-profit organization, issued 27,000 Covid-19 reports. Out of those, the facility made tested 11,540 samples through IEDCR, and prepared reports of rest 15,460 samples in its laptop which evidences were found during investigation.
Sabrina is a doctor at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. Though she claimed she is Covid-19 affairs consultant of JKG, not chairman but police enquiry confirmed she is the chairperson of the establishment.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has suspended JKG Health Care chairman Dr Sabrina Arif Chaudhury from her post of registrar at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) for breaching discipline.
The Ministry came up with the order hours after Sabrina’s arrest over a Covid-19 test report scam involving JKG Health Care.
Health Services Secretary Abdul Mannan, said in a notice issued on Sunday announcing her suspension as she breached government’s service rules by holding the post of chairman in a private organisation without permission.
Mannan said it is a punishable offence and noted her alleged involvement with the fake test reports.
