COLOMBO
Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Saman Rathnayake who was arrested and remanded over told Court Saturday that he is willing to provide a confidential statement.
This was when the case over the procurement, supply and distrbution of the controversial medicine was taken up in Court Saturday.
The Criminal Investigation Department arrested Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Saman Rathnayake Friday, when he appeared before the CID to record a statement.
Dr. Saman Rathnayake was arrested after recording his statement for over seven hours.
Earlier today, Court issued an order remanding Rathnayake until March 14, considering the facts presented by Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama, after he was produced before the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court.
But at the time, Dr. Saman Rathnayake told Court via his lawyer that he is willing to provide a confidential statement before the Magistrate.
The Magistrate granted permission for the move, and ordered the suspect to appear before Court on March 4 to provide the confidential statement.
Accordingly, Saman Rathnayake will be remanded until March 4.
When the case was taken up today, Deputy Solicitor General told Court that Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Saman Ratnayake, the 10th suspect in the case, was arrested over the charges of misappropriating government funds.
The Deputy Solicitor General told Court that investigations revealed that Rathnayake had a clear understanding of the emergency procurement process under the Indian Credit Line, and had misappropriated government funds under the Ministry of Health to procure the controversial medicines.
The Deputy Solicitor General said that investigations revealed that the 10th suspect and 8th suspect, former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, orchestrated a fake medicine shortage through fabricated cabinet papers, to exploit an emergency procurement process, adding that this constitutes an illegal act carried out with dishonest intentions.
According to the Deputy Solicitor General, the paper submitted to the Cabinet on September 26, 2022, warned of a critical shortage of 182 medicines in the country, potentially leading to a major health collapse within two weeks.
But upon verifying the original file with the paper’s reference number, no record of the 182 medicines was found.
The Deputy Solicitor General told Court that the very next day, upon the claim of such a critical situation, the 10th suspect instructed former Secretary of the Ministry of Health Janaka Sri Chandragupta, the 6th suspect to initiate an emergency procurement process for 285 medicines.
The Deputy Solicitor General further emphasized that the 10th suspect fabricated a non-existent emergency, thereby funneling 285 medicines into the emergency procurement process.
This act resulted in the misappropriation of a staggering Rs. 2 billion of government funds-
