Travel bans imposed on 3 over substandard medicine imports
Colombo (LNW): Travel bans have been imposed on the owner of a pharmaceutical company responsible for importing substandard Immune Globulin vaccines, along with two senior state health officials who aided in the importation of substandard medicines to Sri Lanka.
The Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court enacted these bans on the three individuals.
The suspects include Sudath Janaka Fernando, also known as ‘Aruna Deepthi’, who owns the pharmaceutical company, Dr. Vijith Gunasekera, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), and Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake, the Director of Supply at the Ministry of Health.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) launched an inquiry into allegations that the pharmaceutical firm fraudulently imported 22,500 vials of substandard Immune Globulin vaccines using forged documents, with the complicity of the two senior state officials.
The investigations revealed a financial fraud of Rs. 130 million in connection with the importation of the substandard medicine.
The CID informed the Maligakanda Court that the suspects were attempting to leave the country, prompting the court to impose overseas travel restrictions on them.
The Magistrate also instructed the CID to apprehend the suspects and present them in court by November 16, 2023.
