(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – Maligakanda Magistrate Mrs. Lochani Abeywickrama Weerasinghe yesterday, February 3 ordered to remand former Minister of Health and current Minister of Environment Keheliya Rambukwella till February 15. He was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the purchase of substandard human immunoglobulin injections.
The Magistrate issued this order after taking into consideration the request by the Deputy Solicitor General Miss Lakmini Girihagama, who appeared in court on behalf of the Attorney General, to include Keheliya Bandara Rambukwella as the eighth suspect in this incident.
The Deputy Solicitor General also told Court that as the suspect had committed an offence under the Public Property Act, he would be arrested and produced in Court.
The Deputy Solicitor General told Court that the Minister named as the eighth suspect, being the Cabinet Minister, could not find any files related to the Cabinet Paper issued on September 26, 2022 regarding the import of this controversial medicine.
The Magistrate ordered the CID to conduct an immediate investigation and report the matter to the court regarding the misplacement of the documents.
The Magistrate ordered the CID to commence an investigation as to whether these poisonous medicines were distributed among the people by Government hospitals and if anyone had fallen ill.
An order was also issued by the court to the CID to conduct an investigation regarding all the medicines that the suspect Minister had obtained through the Indian Credit Line.
Minister Rambukwella appeared before the Special Investigation Unit of the CID on Friday, February 2 to give a statement on this incident, where the CID arrested the Minister after questioning him for about ten hours.
Six suspects are currently in custody and on the last day of the trial, the fifth suspect was granted bail by the court. The court said that the bail order for the other suspects will be issued on February 15.
Sugath Janaka Fernando, the owner of the company called Isolez Biotech Pharma who is said to have imported the substandard drugs, former Director of the Medical Supplies Division Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake, Assistant Director of the Medical Supplies Division Shanthini Solomon, Accountant (Supplies) Neran Dhananjaya, former Secretary of the Ministry of Health Janaka Chandragupta and Deputy Director General of the Medical Supplies Division Dr. Herath Mudiyanselage Dharmasiri Rathna Kumara Herath are in remand custody. Stock Controller Sujith Kumara was released on bail.
The Minister was later admitted to the prison hospital.
