JO hands over two complaints against Rajitha to BC

For importing Rs.1,500m worth of vaccines and eight deep sea fishing trawlers

Joint opposition yesterday handed over two separate complaints to the Bribery Commission (BC) over the alleged involvement of Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne of importing Rs.1,500 million worth of vaccinations and eight deep sea fishing trawlers, violating tender procedures.

It said the vaccinations had been imported by violating tender procedures and could put the lives of cancer patients at risk.

This was the ninth complaint made by the JO under its ‘top ten Yahapalana Mega thieves’ investigation programme.

The joint opposition said at the press briefing the vaccine Taxacad, known as Hearticad in Sri Lanka, was a product of Russianbased BIOCAD Biotechnology Company and that the vaccinations had been rejected by the Sri Lanka College of Oncologists (SLCO).

“This product has been rejected as it is not in common use in other countries and is known to be detrimental to the health of cancer patients. This medicine has only been introduced recently and needs more tests to be carried out before being released to the market,” joint opposition MP Ranjith De Zoysa told a news briefing.

He said the medicine, which has received the Russia’s health ministry’s approval last year but had not met the standards set by the Sri Lanka College of Oncologists, had somehow been imported into the country based on the approval of the National Drug Regulatory Authority (NDRA). “The standard procedure to be followed in these situations was to get a recommendation report from the particular institution, in this case SLCO. The tender to import the drug was awarded to Pharmace Private Ltd with only the NDRA recommendation,” MP said.

Meantime, he said that there is Medicinal mafia going on with the blessings of the Health Minister. “Five pharmaceutical companies were registered with the approval of the Health Minister by two people who were related to the minister. For the ease of their business the minister has assigned his close confidante Rumi Mohammad as the Managing Director of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC),” he said.

He said, due to the SLCO’S objection to the vaccines being imported the minister had requested its chairperson Damayanthi Pieris to give reasons why disciplinary action should not be taken against her.

Issuing a press release the joint opposition said that Minister Senaratne had imported eight deep sea fishing trawlers from China during his tenure as fisheries minister. The complaint made to the Bribery Commission had noted that the minister had approved the import of trawlers by assigning his Coordinating Secretary Lalith Anuradha Seneviratne as a Company Director of the said company and had allegedly acquired Rs. 1,000 million worth of shares in the company. They also alleged that Minister Senaratne had leased the Modara Fisheries Harbour, which had a property value of Rs. 445 million to ‘Sea Gulf UK,’ an England based company, for Rs.125, 000 a month and caused a loss to the government. “Minister Senaratne has leased the property without getting a government estimate and without receiving Cabinet approval,” it said.