Immunoglobulin scam suspects further remanded

The Maligakanda Magistrate yesterday ordered that seven suspects including the former Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Janaka Chandragupta be further remanded until 24 Jan., over the controversial procurement of fake human immunoglobulin.

The order was given when they were produced before the court from remand custody.

Chandragupta was arrested on 18 Dec., when he arrived at the CID headquarters to make a statement about the procurement racket.

On 14 Dec., Maligakanda Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrama declared that the actions of the former Secretary of the Ministry of Health pertaining to the process of purchasing the batch of ‘substandard’ human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) were suspicious.

Thus, the Magistrate ordered that all responsible parties be arrested and produced before the court irrespective of their positions.

Several high-profile arrests have been made thus far in connection with the case including that of the former Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Director of the Health Ministry’s Medical Supplies Division and three other officials of the same division, as well as the owner of the relevant company which claimed to have imported the batch of fake Immunoglobulin.