The Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental rights of citizens were violated through the import of substandard medicines using Indian credit aid, ordering former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and four others to pay Rs. 225 million in compensation from their personal funds.
The Supreme Court has concluded that the fundamental rights of Sri Lankan citizens were violated through the procurement of medicines from an unregistered institution using Indian credit aid in 2022. The court has ordered former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and several other officials to pay substantial compensation to the government for violating existing regulations.
According to the judgment, the compensation amounts to be paid by the respondents are as follows:
Keheliya Rambukwella, former Health Minister: Rs. 75 million
Janaka Chandragupta, former Health Secretary: Rs. 50 million
Professor S.D. Jayaratne, former Chairman of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority: Rs. 50 million
Dr. Wijitha Gunasekara and Dr. Thusitha Sudarshana: Rs. 50 million
The court emphasized that all these compensation amounts must be paid from the personal funds of the individuals concerned to the government.
