Seven suspects including the former Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Janaka Sri Chandraguptha, have been further remanded until 1 February, over the controversial procurement of substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) vials.

The relevant order was issued by the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court, when the case was taken up in Court yesterday (24).

Chandraguptha was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on 18 December last year (2023), when he arrived at the premises to record a statement regarding the substandard human IVIG scandal, which had taken place during his tenure as the Health Secretary.

On 14 December 2022, Maligakanda Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrama had deemed as suspicious the actions of Chandraguptha pertaining to the process of purchasing the batch of “substandard” human IVIG.

Thus, the magistrate also ordered that all responsible parties be arrested and produced before Court irrespective of their positions, for the administration of justice over the providing of substandard medicine to the public.

Several high-profile arrests were made in connection with the case, including that of Chandraguptha, 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 IVIG vials by forging documents, along with a former Deputy Director of Health Services.