Substandard Human Immunoglobulin scandal Owner refuses to cooperate with NMRA, CID officials during plant visit: Police Spokesman

• Says he is not feeling well and cannot remember how to turn the power on at the plant for the inspection visit   

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

The proprietor of Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt) Ltd. cum  the chief suspect of the substandard human immunoglobulin scandal that  rocked the entire medical industry has refused to cooperate with the  NMRA and CID officials yesterday when he was escorted to the plant on  an inspection tour, the police said.    

The National Medicines Regulatory Authority officials on a Court directive visited the infamous Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt) Ltd.  plant in Seeduwa yesterday morning, where its owner Janaka Fernando,  who is in remand custody, was also brought to the scene.   

Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa told the Daily Mirror  the representatives of the NMRA and the Criminal Investigation  Department officials had visited the scene around 2.00 pm yesterday  afternoon along with the suspect.   

The main suspect had however been brought to the plant site  by the Welikada Prisons officials escorted by the CID officials as  there had been much delay in getting the former arranged for the factory  visit.  The NMRA officials had entered the plant premises with the  keys in their custody when the suspect was brought to the scene, where he  was then escorted into the main building.   The authorities could not proceed to inspect the facility  or the main plant beyond the building’s lobby, as the power connection  had been shut down previously and the entire premises was dark.   

When the officials asked the plant owner to turn the power  on, he had refused to comply, saying that he was not feeling well and that  he could not exactly remember how to turn the power on, the spokesman  said.   
The authorities had even escorted the suspect to the main  switch panel of the entire premises, where the power lines are connected  to an outside transformer but the latter had refused to cooperate.   

The officials had no other option but to escort the suspect back to the Welikada Prison shortly after.   
Since the court-ordered factory visit was a failure,  the officials said that they will report facts to the Maligakanda  Magistrate tomorrow, when the case is next taken up, SSP Thalduwa said.     

Maligakanda Magistrate on December 27th ordered the NMRA  and CID officials to take the main suspect for a plant visit before  January 9th and the officials arranged the visit.