News
Minister Rambukwella remanded, admitted to prison hospital
View(s):- Magistrate orders full probe on one of the biggest scandals in health sector
By Manrpriya Gunasekara
Soon after the minister was escorted to prisons, he was admitted to the prison hospital.
Maligakanda Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrema issued the order to remand Minister Rambukwella at the Welikada prison. She directed that an investigation be held into persons affected in state hospitals due to the use of substandard medical supplies and that suitable steps be taken. She also ordered a full inquiry into all the drugs imported under the Indian credit line.
All payments by the Health Ministry to the first suspect, Isolez Biotech Pharma AG chairman
Hewage Sudath Janaka Fernando, for the supply of medical supplies from May 2022 also must be probed separately, in addition to the inconvenience caused to medical personnel by the use of substandard medical supplies, the Magistrate said.
She ordered that an inquiry be held into whether a forged number had been used for the file or whether the relevant file had been hidden. Also, the manner in which the payments were made should be investigated, the magistrate said.
She observed that the minister could not evade responsibility, saying he was not aware or could not remember.
Minister Rambukwella, in handcuffs, was accompanied by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officials after being held overnight. On Friday, he provided a statement to the CID for more than nine hours. The CID’s Special Investigation Unit Chief, Inspector Jayantha Payagala, submitted a seven-page report to the court with 13 annexures.
Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama, making submissions yesterday, told the court that although Minister Rambukwella assumed duties as the health minister taking a pledge to create healthy people, plain water had been provided to the patients as medicine.
The DSG pointed out that a false sense of fear had been created among the Cabinet of Ministers by Minister Rambukwella that the country was facing a severe shortage of medical supplies and that the health system would collapse in the event of a failure to provide supplies in time. She said that the Cabinet had been compelled by the minister to purchase medicines from unregistered suppliers.
The DSG told the court that Minister Rambukwella had been questioned why the imports had been made at a time when the World Health Organisation (WHO) was due to supply 7,600 vials of immunoglobulin. The response had been that there was doubt about the supplies. However, he had failed to give reasons for the doubt. She said the minister could not get away from the allegations that the taxpayers’ money had been misused.
The magistrate inquired as to how the imports took place without a waiver of registration from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority. DSG Girihagama told the court that the former Health Secretary had issued orders to the National Blood Transfusion Services to provide blood plasma and that some bottles had been contaminated with bacteria, thereby affecting several patients.
The DSG also revealed that, while payments should have been made under the Indian credit line, it was Health Ministry funds that had been used.
Attorney Nalinda Indatissa, appearing on behalf of a group campaigning against corruption, said that the disappearance of files was a dangerous trend.
Kaushalya Nawaratna, representing the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, said that an investigation should be carried out on the impact on the people due to the use of substandard immunoglobulin.
Attorney Anuja Premaratne, PC, appearing on behalf of Minister Rambukwella, responded to a question from the magistrate as to why all the information was not included in the Cabinet paper. He said that all information was not usually included in a Cabinet paper.
He said that in September 2022, the country was going through a crisis and that it was the Cabinet that approved the purchases based on a list prepared by the Deputy Director of the Medical Supplies Division. He added that the purchase through the Indian credit line was approved by the then Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.
Mr. Premaratne urged the magistrate to take into consideration the medical status of Minister Rambukwella and grant bail.
The magistrate observed that it was a decision to be taken by the prison authorities.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!