Ex-Health Minister requested CID to obtain his statement?

Former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella was not interrogated by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) as a suspect or an accused in the controversial sub-standard Immunoglobulin import issue, but the minister voluntarily provided a further statement to the CID, according to Attorney-at-Law Manoj Gamage.

Furthermore, he claimed that the CID did not arrive at the former Health Minister’s house to investigate into Rambukwella’s connection with the incident in question as reported by certain media, and that instead they had arrived following a request made by the former minister through President’s Counsel U.R. de Silva on his behalf, in order to provide some evidence documents for further investigations.

The initial case pertaining to this issue was also filed under the directives of MP Keheliya Rambukwella”, he told reporters after statement was recorded.

Meanwhile, Gamage also said that the former Health Minister submitted several written and digital evidence including some video evidence pertaining to the issue of importing substandard Immunoglobulin vials, to the CID today.

Issuing a statement in this regard, the Media Secretary of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella also confirmed the matter.

Earlier today (Dec. 26), it was reported that a team from the CID had arrived at former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella’s residence for recording a statement over the controversial sub-standard Immunoglobulin import issue.

It was also reported that the CID officers had later left the minister’s home after recording a statement for over 02 hours. 

So far, several high profile arrests have been made in connection with the case including the former Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Director of the Health Ministry’s Medical Supplies Division and three other officials of the same division, as well as the owner of the relevant company which is said to have imported the batch of substandard Immunoglobulin vials by forging documents.

They are currently in remand custody.