The Director Board members of the Asiri Medical Hospital have been fined by the Maligakanda Magistrate Court after pleading guilty to 11 charges including selling government price controlled drugs at exorbitant prices.
Mr. Kelum Gimendra Jayasuriya had represented the Director Board members as an authorized representative with regard to the legal case.
Previously on Dec. 15, 2023 The Maligakanda Chief Magistrate – Lochani Abeywickrema had issued notice to the Director Board members of the hospital to appear before court on Jan. 23.
According to the case filed under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act No. 5 of 2015, the group’s directors – Vishal Bali, Ashoka Kariyawasam Pathirage, Ankur Nand Thadani, Karunamuni Manjula Prasanna Karunaratne, Sudarshan Ahangama, Gardiyar Lokuge Harris Premaratne, Sivakumar Sellaiya, Haresh Kumar Kaimal and Ajith Karunaratne as well as Assistant Billing Manager – B.D. Sadathisaru have been named as respondents.
However, when the complainant with his private lawyers as well as the officials from the NMRA Food and Drug Inspection Unit had gone to court on Jan. 23, the case had not been summoned as scheduled.
When inquired with the registrar’s office, the party had been told that the case was taken up in advance on January 17, when the defendant hospital had filed a motion ex parte and had pleaded guilty before an acting magistrate. The hospital had been subsequently fined Rs.25, 000 for the charges filed against them, which had been paid.
*The verdict
*The document naming Mr. Jayasuriya as authorized representative
Assets of two prominent police officers are to be probed after authorities received a number of complaints, highly placed sources in the government say.
One officer in question is a DIG while the other is a SSP, reports add.
The Police Illegal Assets And Property Investigation Division are conducting further investigations.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has opened a probe following a complaint by Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe that his staff have been unduly targeted by false allegations on social media.
The AG’s instruction to the CID came after several of his staff complained to him over the allegation on social media.
Particularly targeted are senior AG’s Department officials awaiting promotions, sources said.
In one of the posts, a senior officer was accused of being supportive of granting bail to Thamil Makkal Viduthal Puligal (TMVP) leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillaiyan, when his fundamental rights application over his arrest was taken up. During the hearing of the FR case, the matter of bail was not even considered, the sources said.
Another allegation was that in a case related to the suspended Police Chief Deshabandu Tennakoon, the AG prevented a senior officer from representing the department and instead sent a junior officer. However, on the particular day, the senior officer was indisposed, the sources said.
These allegations surface as the AG’s Department has filed more than 600 new indictments in High Courts so far this year, while the Bribery Commission has also referred several bribery and corruption cases to the AG for prosecution.
(sundaytimes.lk) (This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)