Arrest warrants have been issued against 58 individuals, including the former Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of Sylhet Medical University, on charges of various irregularities and corruption.
On Thursday (April 24), Senior Special Judge of the Metropolitan Court, Rokonuzzaman, issued the arrest warrants. The court’s sergeant, Kripasindhu Das, confirmed that the warrants were issued as the accused are currently absconding.
Earlier, on Sunday, Mohammad Ismail Hossain Imon, Assistant Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Sylhet, submitted a charge sheet to the Senior Special Judge’s Court. The charges include violations of Sections 409/420/109 of the Penal Code, along with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
According to the case statement, in 2018, allegations of widespread irregularities and corruption in the recruitment of officers and staff at Sylhet Medical University were raised before the University Grants Commission (UGC). The UGC took the complaint seriously and launched an investigation into the recruitment practices on November 16, 2023. The investigation revealed that former Vice-Chancellor Morshed Ahmed Chowdhury and former Acting Registrar Mohammad Naeemul Haque Chowdhury (Mohammad Haque Moinul Chowdhury) were involved in power abuse and significant corruption. Following this, a case was filed against 58 individuals.
The charges against the accused involve the abuse of power to recruit a total of 220 individuals on an ad-hoc basis between 2019 and 2023, with many of them having their contracts extended. It is alleged that the former Vice-Chancellor and Acting Registrar appointed an additional 141 people by misusing their authority.
Furthermore, the accused are charged with appointing individuals without relevant work experience, hiring those with a third division in their academic records, promoting ad-hoc employees, and appointing individuals with qualifications in fields unrelated to the positions.
