Immunoglobulin scam suspects further remanded

By T. Farook Thajudeen

The suspects arrested by the police including the Ministry of Health Medical Supplies Division Director Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake over the controversial immunoglobulin scam were remanded yet again by Maligakanda Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrama yesterday. 

Other suspects included the importer of the drug Sudath Janaka Fernando and Health Ministry officials T.D. Shanthini Soloman, M.M. Niran Dayananda and Sujith Wasantha Kumara.

Before the remand order, the counsel appeared for Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake and requested bail be granted to his client. 

The counsel claimed that Dr. Wickramanayake was not functioning as the Director of the Health Department’s Medical Supplies Division at the time of the forgery of documents to import the drugs took place.

The counsel argued that Dr. Wickramanayake was engaged as an international graduate and an honorary visiting senior fellow at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh National Health Services (NHS) Lothian and Scotland in the UK, holding the position from January 2022 to December 2022. The counsel strongly asserted that their client has no criminal record and emphasised that the police had misconstrued the incident as a criminal act on their client’s part. 

The counsel clarified that their client had no personal involvement in any of the mentioned matters and requested the court to grant bail.

However, Maligakanda Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrama further remanded all suspects. The suspects are accused of importing substandard immunoglobulin through the use of forged documents.