(COLOMBO) – A court remanded Sri Lanka’s former Health Minister and present Minister of Environment Keheliya Rambukwella on Saturday for his alleged involvement in a massive drug scam.
Rambukwella who held several ministerial portfolios and was even a onetime media spokesman was ordered to be remanded until February 15 by the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court.
Rambukwella repeatedly dodged being questioned by police using his Parliament privileges and obligations but was finally ordered to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Friday following a court order.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the lawmaker on Friday (Feb.02) in connection with the procurement of substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).
Pressure has been mounting from civil society activists and health sector trade unionists, calling for the immediate apprehension of the lawmaker.
The former health minister was supposed to appear before the CID on Wednesday (Jan.31), however, he failed to do so on account of having to attend a court case hearing and a ministerial sub-committee meeting. Rambukwella had thus requested the CID to fix another date for him to provide his statement.
Maligakanda Magistrate later ordered the former health minister to appear before the CID on Friday to record a statement and imposed a foreign travel ban on him.
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.
The product, which was said to have been manufactured by Livealth Biopharma Pvt Ltd. India and imported by a local medicine supplier called Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt) Ltd.
However, the India-based manufacturer has denied having a hand in this fraudulent activity and communicated to the NMRA that it has neither manufactured, supplied nor exported these products to any party. It was also found that funds amounting to Rs. 130 million were misappropriated through the unlawful procurement of 22,500 vials of IVIG.
Seven suspects including the former Secretary to the Ministry of Health Janaka Chandragupta were later arrested in connection with the scam. Accordingly, the former Health Secretary, the Director of the Health Ministry’s Medical Supplies Division (MSD) and three other officials of the same division, as well as the owner of the company, which is said to have supplied the substandard batch of immunoglobulin vials, remain in remand custody.
After the scam came to light, Rambukwella was given the portfolio of Environment Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle in October last year. Accordingly, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana was appointed as the new Health Minister in addition to his current portfolio as Minister of Industries.
