Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. Saman Ratnayake, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the purchase of substandard doses of Human Immunoglobulin injections, yesterday (March 2) expressed his willingness before Maligakanda Magistrate Mrs. Lochani Abeywickrama Weerasinghe to give a secret statement before the Court regarding this drug procurement incident.
According to Section 127 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, the Magistrate asked the suspect if he agrees to make this statement independently and without external motivation.
The Magistrate ordered the suspect to appear before the Court tomorrow (March 4) and give this statement based on the notification given by lawyer Kanchana Ratwatte, who appeared in Court on behalf of the suspect Dr. Saman Ratnayake, that he has the consent of his client.
The Magistrate said that the suspect should be detained separately from the other suspects in this incident and ordered the Prison Superintendent to keep him in the Mahara prison.
These facts were presented when the suspect was produced before Court yesterday (March 2). The CID arrested the suspect on Friday (March 1) night after 11 hours of questioning related to this incident.
Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Ms Lakmini Girihagama and the CID appeared before the Court representing the Attorney General on behalf of the prosecution.
The DSG requested the Court to name this suspect as the 10th suspect in relation to the incident and accordingly the Magistrate decided to name the suspect as the 10th suspect.
The DSG told Court that the suspect did not have any original files related to the Cabinet Paper issued on September 26, 2020, regarding the importation of this controversial medicine and he only had photocopies of the relevant file.
The DSG told Court that although the eighth suspect in this case, former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, had given instructions to call the emergency procurement in question and import drugs, this suspect, as a public official, was not bound to carry them out.
The DSG told Court that due to the fact that the suspect had committed an offence under the Public Property Act, he was arrested and produced in Court.
Former Minister of Health Rambukwella, former Secretary of the Ministry of Health Janaka Chandraguptha, owner of the Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt) Ltd.
Sugath Janaka Fernando who is said to have imported the inferior drugs, former Director of the Medical Supplies Division (MSD), Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake, Assistant Director of the Medical Supplies Division, Shanthini Solomon, Accountant (Supply) Neran Dhananjaya, Deputy Director General of MSD Dr. Herath Mudiyanselage Dharmasiri Rathnakumara Herath, have been remanded until March 14.
The fifth suspect in this incident, Stock Controller of the Ministry of Health Sujith Kumara is on bail.
