The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar today (06) ordered the pre-trial conference to commence on November 26 in the case filed against former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and 12 others pertaining to the alleged importation of substandard Human Immunoglobulin vials.

The case has been filed by the Attorney General over the alleged misappropriation of government funds by purchasing substandard Human Immunoglobulin vials for the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of the Ministry of Health.

The case was taken up before the three-judge bench consisting of Judges Priyantha Liyanage, Viraj Weerasuriya and Thilakarathna Bandara today, Ada Derana reporter said.

When the case was called before the High Court at 8.30 a.m., President’s Counsel Sarath Ekanayake, appearing for the second defendant, Kapila Wickramanayake, presented facts before the court and requested permission for his client to attend an examination scheduled to be held this morning at the Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala. 

The bench permitted Kapila Wickramanayake to sit for the examination at the Open University.

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 Criminal Investigation Department (CID) launched an investigation based on two complaints received regarding this matter.

Subsequently, a case was filed naming 12 individuals as suspects.

These include the owner of the company that supplied the substandard drugs, Sudath Janaka Fernando, former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, former Secretary to the Ministry of Health Janaka Chandragupta and a group of other high-ranking officials in the health sector.