The owner of a pharmaceutical company that had imported substandard stocks of Immune Globulin vaccines has been apprehended by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
The arrest comes after the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court on Monday (Oct 30) ordered the suspect and two other high-ranking state officials to be arrested over the incident.
The court had also imposed overseas travel bans on the owner of the pharmaceutical company and the two senior officials from the state health sector who had assisted him in importing the substandard medicines to Sri Lanka.
The suspects are Sudath Janaka Fernando alias ‘Aruna Deepthi’ who owns the pharmaceutical company, Chief Executive Officer of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) Dr. Vijith Gunasekera, and the Director of Supply at the Ministry of Health Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had commenced an investigation into allegations that the pharmaceutical company had imported 22,500 vials of substandard Immune Globulin vaccines by creating forged documents with the assistance of the two senior state officials.
Investigations have revealed that financial fraud of Rs. 130 million had occurred via the imports of the said substandard medicine. (NewsWire)