Global Net Report : Abdul Malek alias Badal, a driver of the Health Department, joined the job in 1982 in the Savar Health Project. He joined the department in 1986. However, his rise was during the time of Shah Munir Hossain, the former director general of the health department. Malek has been driving the former director general’s car for four years. However, sources in the department did not want to be named.
According to the RAB investigation, during the tenure of Shah Munir Hossain as the Director General, from January 18, 2009 to November 11, 2010, Abdul Malek appointed more than 100 people as health assistants. Abdul Malek was Shah Munir’s ‘collector’, said a top official of an organization under the health department.
Abdul Malek later formed an alliance called the Drivers’ Association and became its president. A senior official of the health department said that officials in the department who are not authorized to use government vehicles also use vehicles. Drivers also arbitrarily raise oil bills. If anyone ever objected to this, the drivers united and stopped driving. So for almost 10 years, Abdul Malek syndicated and influenced the department, but no one opened his mouth against him.
However, Shah Munir Hossain has denied these allegations. He said appointments and transfers would not be in his word. And the driver, Malek, did not know about the misdeeds he was involved in. However, he said Malek has been driving since he was the director of health education. When he was the director general, Malek was still his driver. The latest driver was Abdul Malek, driven by AHM Enayet Hossain, director general of the health education department.
The court allowed Abdul Malek to be remanded for 14 days in two cases yesterday. The order was issued by the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Abdul Mannan, secretary of the health services department of the health ministry, said in response to a question at the secretariat yesterday that an investigation is underway into those who are like Abdul Malek. He said Abdul Malek would be suspended.
