A Faridpur court on Monday acquitted six of the 12 accused in the controversial Tk 10 crore curtain scam case at Faridpur Medical College Hospital.
The case, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), involved alleged corruption in equipment procurement and attempted embezzlement.
Faridpur Special Judge’s Court Judge Md. Sharifuddin passed the order after hearing the charge framing.
Those acquitted are Mizanur Raman, associate professor of the surgical department; Sheikh Abdul Fattah, former professor of the medicine department; Md. Alamgir Fakir, former sub-divisional engineer of Faridpur Public Works Department; Abdus Sattar, social service officer; Omar Faruk, engineer of Faridpur Medical College Hospital; and Mia Mortaza Hossain, engineer of Nimue & TC Dhaka Headquarters.
Of the remaining six accused, former professor of pediatrics Barun Kanti Biswas and contractor Munshi Kafrul Hossain are absconding.
The other four—Abdullah Al Mamun of M/s Anik Traders, Munshi Sajjad Hossain, former senior consultant eye Enamul Haque, and Md. Alamgir Kabir of M/s Ali Traders—are out on bail.
The case dates back to 2015, when contracting firms M/s Anik Traders and M/s Ali Traders supplied goods worth Tk 10 crore for the opening of the ICU department. After not receiving payment, the companies approached the High Court, which directed the ACC to investigate.
Following the investigation, ACC filed a case on November 27, 2019, against three doctors and three contractors associated with the procurement committee.
The case saw several revisions of charge sheets, with 12 people eventually facing charges as of August 31, 2025.
ACC Public Prosecutor Kubbat Hossain said April 6 was the day for charge framing, resulting in acquittal of six accused while charges were framed against the remaining six.
Lawyer MA Samad, representing the acquitted, described the case as harassment.
He said, “The two contracting companies supplied goods worth Tk 10 crore for the ICU unit, but the government did not pay them. Where there is no embezzlement, high-profile individuals were harassed over alleged ‘attempted embezzlement.’ Their signatures on contract tenders were treated as a crime. Despite the accusations, the ICU unit has served the public effectively over the years.”
The case, widely reported as the “curtain scandal,” drew national attention after it was revealed that the cost of ICU curtains alone was Tk 37.5 lakh.