While Zahid Maleque was serving as Bangladesh’s health minister, the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe. The virus spread from nation to nation, taking innumerable lives and paralyzing normal life worldwide. Bangladesh, too, faced the full force of the crisis. The pandemic plunged the global economy into recession. However, even as COVID-19 brought misery and loss to millions, it became a time of opportunity and enrichment for a select few in Bangladesh — and Zahid Maleque was one of those beneficiaries.
After the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine, Bangladesh began efforts to procure doses. However, then–Health Minister Zahid Maleque reportedly resorted to massive corruption in the vaccine procurement process, allegedly embezzling thousands of crores of taka under the pretext of buying vaccines. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) launched an investigation following allegations that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s adviser Salman F. Rahman and then–Health Minister Zahid Maleque, along with others, embezzled around Tk 22,000 crore in the name of COVID-19 vaccine procurement. According to reports, the ACC’s preliminary investigation has found the allegations to be credible.
A four-member probe committee led by ACC Deputy Director Afroza Haque Khan is conducting the investigation. The other three members are Assistant Director Bilkis Akter and Deputy Assistant Directors Md. Jewel Rana and Kazi Hafizur Rahman.
The complaint states that in December 2021, Bangladesh signed an agreement with India’s Serum Institute to purchase 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Beximco Pharmaceuticals, owned by Salman F. Rahman, was included in the deal as a supplier.
The complaint filed with the ACC described the procurement process as opaque and claimed that government procurement rules were not followed. It noted that a ruling party Member of Parliament and the Prime Minister’s adviser were among the signatories to the tripartite agreement, in violation of the law. The vaccines were imported through a non-transparent process that breached established procurement policies.
Because the government included Beximco Pharmaceuticals as a third party, Bangladesh reportedly had to buy the Serum vaccines at a higher price than other countries. The complaint further alleged that Beximco made a profit of Tk 77 per dose after covering all expenses. Had the government purchased the vaccines directly from the Serum Institute, it could have saved enough money to buy an additional 6.8 million doses.
The complaint also highlighted irregularities in the pricing of government-run COVID-19 tests, which cost Tk 3,000 per test — an amount deemed excessively high — indicating further corruption in the process.
Other individuals named in the corruption syndicate include then–Health Secretary Lokman Hossain and the Prime Minister’s former Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus. The complaint alleges that the group collectively embezzled at least Tk 22,000 crore through the vaccine import scheme. Zahid Maleque himself publicly claimed that Tk 40,000 crore had been spent on vaccine purchase and distribution, but Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) estimated the maximum cost should not have exceeded Tk 18,000 crore.
Moreover, vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were developed earlier, and there were opportunities to obtain those vaccines for free — but those opportunities were reportedly ignored for the sake of corruption. When the Serum Institute halted exports midway, Bangladesh was left in crisis and forced to buy Chinese vaccines at higher prices. Allegations suggest that Zahid Maleque was also involved in corruption during the procurement of Chinese vaccines, as they were purchased at prices above the international market rate.
Several private companies had expressed interest in importing vaccines from China, but Zahid Maleque allegedly denied them permission. Similarly, when several reputed Bangladeshi firms attempted to initiate local vaccine production, the Health Ministry obstructed them. These actions were reportedly taken to ensure that one particular company maintained a monopoly over vaccine imports. For Zahid Maleque, the priority was not the welfare of the people but the profit to be made from vaccines.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
