• Claims MP may have been sent in bus meant for female inmates’ children in order to separate from other suspects in his case per Court order, also cites vehicle shortage  

Former Health Minister and incumbent Government Parliamentarian Keheliya Rambukwella may have been sent to Court in a bus allocated for female inmates’ children, according to the Prison authorities, in order to keep him separate from the other suspects related to the case regarding which he is facing charges.

Adding that the Court has issued instructions to produce the eight suspects of the case in a manner that prevents contact between them, the Prisons Commissioner (Operations, Intelligence and Security) and the Prisons Department’s Media Spokesperson Gamini B. Dissanayake told The Daily Morning that the Prison authorities may have used the available vehicles, which include the said bus, to follow those instructions. He further said that having limited vehicles could be the reason that the authorities had to use the said bus, which has been provided by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). However, more information as to the precise reasons for using the said bus to transport Rambukwella is yet to be obtained. Dissanayake said that he has requested more information from the Prison authorities.

Meanwhile, media reports claimed that the Criminal Investigations Department investigation is underway regarding the matter as the Prison authorities have allegedly failed to adhere to the instructions concerning the use of the said bus. Attempts to contact the Police Media Spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General of Police and attorney Nihal Thalduwa to obtain more information regarding the investigation were not successful.

Rambukwella is facing charges in the controversial case of importing substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin vials. Eight suspects, including Rambukwella, the former Health Ministry Secretary Janaka Sri Chandraguptha, and the Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr. Saman Rathnayake, and others from both the Health Ministry and its Medical Supplies Division, and the owner of the importing company are currently facing charges in the said case and are in remand custody. In the context of the incident, Rambukwella was removed from the Health Minister post and was appointed as the Environment Minister, from which he resigned after being remanded.