The Supreme Court on Friday fined a former health minister of Sri Lanka 75 million rupees for violating fundamental rights. He imported medicines under an Indian credit line in 2022 through a company that was not registered for this purpose.
Sri Lanka fine 75 million rupees to Ex Health Minister
A three-member bench of the country’s highest court issued this ruling in response to fundamental rights petitions filed by Transparency International and two other parties. This case is viewed as Sri Lanka’s biggest public health scam.
KeheliyaRambukwella, the former health minister, must pay 75 million rupees. The court also ordered a group of senior health officials to pay 50 million rupees each to the state. They had imported medicines through an unregistered company under the Indian credit line, which was meant to help Sri Lanka navigate its foreign exchange and economic crisis in 2022.
Minister Arrested in 2024 in medicine scandal
Rambukwella was arrested in early 2024 while still serving as health minister. He, along with several officials, was charged with authorizing the import of substandard human immunoglobulin from an Indian company in a scam worth millions of rupees. He spent several months in remand and was later granted bail on health grounds.
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