Court orders statements from ex-Sri Lankan leaders in substandard drugs case probe
By: Isuru Parakrama
November 12, Colombo (LNW): The Maligakanda Magistrate Court directed authorities to record statements from 18 senior officials of the previous government, including former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
This order is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of substandard drug procurement approved by the former Cabinet under emergency measures in 2022.
The directive came after Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama requested permission to question former high-ranking officials regarding the approval of nearly 200 controversial medicinal drugs through an emergency procurement process.
This investigation aims to clarify the decision-making processes that led to the purchase of these potentially unsafe medications.
The list of former Cabinet Ministers required to provide statements includes Nimal Siripala de Silva, Douglas Devananda, Susil Premajayantha, Bandula Gunawardhana, Mahinda Amaraweera, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Harin Fernando, Ramesh Pathirana, Prasanna Ranatunga, Vidura Wickremenayake, Kanchana Wijesekera, Naseer Ahmed, Roshan Ranasinghe, Tiran Alles, Nalin Fernando, and Jagath Pushpa Kumara.
The court also ruled to extend the detention of Sudath Janaka, a supplier allegedly involved in distributing the substandard drugs, until November 25.
Janaka’s continued detention underscores the severity with which the judiciary is treating the case as it seeks accountability in what has become a significant public health concern.
