A gazette notification has been issued confirming the resignation of Keheliya Rambukwella as the Environment Minister. He was arrested last week over his alleged complicity in the substandard human immunoglobulin procurement scandal.
Earlier today, it was reported that the former health minister had tendered his resignation to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who in return, had accepted it.
The SLPP parliamentarian was arrested on February 02 after he arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to record a statement. He was grilled for nearly 10 hours before being placed under arrest.
He was remanded the following day, until February 15, and was admitted to the Prison Hospital later that day. During the court proceedings, the prosecution told the Maligakanda Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrama that Rambukwella removed the suppliers registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) and enabled unregistered suppliers to enter the procurement process.
The magistrate also heard that there was no shortage of human immunoglobulin vaccine at the time when the former health minister sought Cabinet approval to make emergency purchases for a list of certain medicinal drugs.
The arrest came hot on the heels of pressure from civil society activists and health sector trade unionists, who called for the immediate apprehension of the lawmaker.
Prior to the apprehension of Rambukwella, seven arrests had been made in connection with the drug procurement scam. But the fifth accused was later released on bail.
As such, the former Health Secretary, the Director of the Health Ministry’s Medical Supplies Division (MSD) and three other officials of the same division, as well as the owner of the company, which is said to have supplied the substandard batch of immunoglobulin vials, now remain in custody on remand.
In October 2023, the NMRA revealed that forged documents were found to have been submitted for Customs clearance to procure a batch of 22,500 vials containing human immunoglobulin, an antibody produced by blood plasma cells, which later failed the quality tests.
The product, which was said to have been manufactured by Livealth Biopharma Pvt Ltd. India and imported by a local medicine supplier called Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt) Ltd. However, the India-based manufacturer has denied having a hand in this fraudulent activity and communicated to the NMRA that it has neither manufactured, supplied nor exported these products to any party.
After the human immunoglobulin scandal came to light, Rambukwella was stripped of health ministerial portfolio and was appointed as the Environment Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle in October. Dr. Ramesh Pathirana was appointed as the Health Minister in addition to his current portfolio as Minister of Industries.
