News
Drug fraud: Additional Secretary seeks to make special statement in court
View(s):By Ranjith Padmasiri
The Health Ministry’s Additional Secretary Saman Ratnayake, produced in court by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) procurement, has sought permission to make a statement to the magistrate.
Accordingly, Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrema ordered that Dr. Ratnayake be produced tomorrow in court to make the statement. The Additional Secretary was initially remanded until March 14, and thereafter, his counsel, Kanchana Ratwatte, informed the magistrate that Dr. Ratnayake was willing to make a statement on the information available.
Dr. Ratnayake being taken to remand prison yesterday. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
The magistrate explained the legal provisions of making a statement, saying that such a statement could be used against the suspect or other suspects in the case. She said it should be a statement made voluntarily.
Dr. Ratnayake was arrested on Friday by the CID after making a statement for more than six hours.
Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama told the magistrate yesterday that the suspect had good knowledge about the procurement processes and had collaborated with other suspects in diverting from the procedures and committing the fraud.
She said that he had committed an offence under the Public Property Act and urged that the suspect be remanded.
Counsel Ratwatte said his client was the Additional Secretary to the Ministry and was not involved in procurement. He said, therefore, that he had not committed an offence but only performed his duties.
The counsel said that Dr. Ratnayake was a heart patient, and therefore he should be granted bail.
The magistrate ordered that Dr. Ratnayake be held at the Mahara prisons, separately from another suspect in the case and that necessary medical attention be provided.
State Counsel Asela Wijesinha and Gangani Ukwatta appeared for the CID, while for the suspect, Attorneys Nuwan Alwis and Mathli Madugalle appeared with Mr. Ratwatte.
Eight other suspects, including former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, are already in custody over the fraud.
Mr. Rambukwella’s arrest came in the wake of pressure from civil society activists and health sector trade unionists, who called for his immediate arrest.
In October 2023, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) revealed that forged documents were found to have been submitted for Customs clearance to procure a batch of vials containing human immunoglobulin, an antibody produced by blood plasma cells, which later failed the quality tests.
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