Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and several former Cabinet Ministers have been named as witnesses in the case against former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella over the alleged import of substandard Human Immunoglobulin vials, Ada Derana reporter said.
Around 350 individuals have been listed as witnesses in this case.
Among them are former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Douglas Devananda, and Roshan Ranasinghe.
Additionally, a group of doctors, including Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, the Chairman of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), has also been named.
Furthermore, nearly 300 case documents have been submitted by the prosecution in relation to the case.
The Attorney General filed indictments before a three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court against former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and 11 other accused over the purchase of substandard immunoglobulin earlier today.
Previously, the Attorney General submitted a request to the Chief Justice for the case to be heard before a special three-judge bench, considering the significant public interest surrounding the case.
Accordingly, the Chief Justice appointed a three-judge panel comprising High Court Judges Mahesh Weeraman, Pradeep Abeyratne, and Amali Ranawira to hear the case.
The indictments were served before the bench by the Attorney General today.
In 2022, amidst the country’s economic crisis, a number of high-ranking health officials were allegedly involved in the purchase of medicine stocks by changing existing procurement procedures and creating a false shortage of drugs in the country.
The charges allege that the accused, including former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, conspired to misappropriate Rs. 144.4 million of public funds by supplying 6,195 vials of substances falsely labeled as immunoglobulin — namely, Human Immunoglobulin and Rituximab — to the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry of Health.
The Attorney General filed 13 charges related to conspiracy and the criminal misuse of public funds.
