Health ministry DG’s driver to be grilled on 14-day remand

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahidul Islam passed the orders after a hearing on Monday.

Turag Police SI Rubel Sheikh, the investigation officer of the cases, produced Malek in court and filed a 14-day remand petition to interrogate him.

According to the remand petition, Malek is the driver of director general of the health ministry. He has been playing the role of president of the government drivers association for 20-25 years and is an influential man in his workplace.

Using his stature, he has made a huge amount of money and assets over a long time in the recruitment trade and counterfeit money business.

Public Prosecutor Md Abdullah Abu made the 14-day remand prayer on behalf of the state, seven days for each of the two cases.

Defence lawyer GM Mizanur Rahman filed a bail petition requesting the remand be scrapped. The court rejected the petitions after the hearings.

Miazanur said, “Although the law states a suspect must be produced in court within 24 hours of arrest, it did not happen in this case. Instructions from the Police Headquarters stipulate that no arrest can be made late at night. But this was not followed in (Malek’s) case. And the evidence police claim to have was not found on him.”

“He has been implicated in the case because he is the driver of the health division’s DG. He was framed by several others from the health division due to this,” he added.

“Besides, the suspect, an asthma patient, has been sick for a long time. He had also contracted COVID-19. He is an elderly person. Apart from these, what needed recovery has been recovered. It is unnecessary to remand him. He should be interrogated at the jail gate, if so required.”

Driver Malek was apprehended by the Rapid Action Battalion or RAB on Sunday.

The law enforcers seized a firearm, a magazine, five rounds of bullets, and Tk 150,000 in counterfeit money from him and later disclosed information on his assets worth billions of taka.

According to RAB’s statement, Malek owned two seven-storey buildings and a large dairy farm in Turag’s Kamarpara while owning an under-construction 10-storey building in Hatirpool and a total of 15 flats in different areas of Dhanmondi.

Malek also has a huge sum of money in different banks.