Money allocated for Oxygen used to buy substandard drugs

• Judge directed to match the signature of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella with the signatures of the cabinet memoranda and other documents

By manopriya Gunasekara

Rs. 14.5 million was given to the supplier to purchase substandard human immunoglobulin injections, which was intended to be used for purchasing oxygen, Deputy Solicitor General Mrs. Lakmini Girihagama informed Maligaknada Magistrate Mrs. Lochani Abeywickrama.

Judge also directed to match the signature of former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella with the signatures of the cabinet memoranda and other documents submitted to the Cabinet. 

When the complaints related to this incident were called, Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake, the Director of the Medical Supply Unit, who was being treated at the Colombo National Hospital for an illness, was brought to the court in an ambulance. A report from the Prison Hospital Superintendent presented to the court stated that the former Minister of Health, Keheliya Rambukwella, is in a medical condition that he cannot be presented to the court and because of that the case was tried without him.

DSG Girihagama also informed the court that the CID was conducting investigations that Why did the 8th suspect, as the former health minister, taken steps to relax the some restrictions in order to bringing drugs into the country by saying that the country's health sector would collapse within a period of three weeks? Why did he go on an emergency procurement process?