Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors have accused distributors of a tainted Indian cough syrup, which led to the deaths of 65 children in the country, of bribing local officials with $33,000 to avoid mandatory testing.
The trial in Uzbekistan involves 21 individuals, including 20 Uzbeks and one Indian. These allegations have brought to light a significantly higher death toll for the first time.
Among the defendants, three individuals, one Indian and two Uzbek nationals, are high-ranking officials of Quramax Medical, a company that sold medicines produced by India’s Marion Biotech in Uzbekistan.
State prosecutor Saidkarim Akilov revealed that Singh Raghvendra Pratar, the CEO of Quramax, is alleged to have bribed officials at the state center responsible for expertise and standardization of medicinal products. This alleged bribe of $33,000 aimed to bypass the mandatory inspection of the products.
The prosecutor’s statement didn’t specify whether the inspection was meant to involve testing within Uzbekistan or a request for tests to be conducted by the Indian producer.
In court, Pratar denied the charges but admitted to giving the sum to Uzbek officials through an intermediary as a “token of appreciation.” He asserted that he had no knowledge of how the money was subsequently utilized.
Seven out of the 21 defendants have pleaded guilty to some of the charges, which include offenses such as tax evasion, selling substandard or fake medicines, abusing their positions, negligence, forgery, and bribery.
The reason for the concealment of 45 deaths since the previous year has not been disclosed by officials.
Additionally, on Wednesday, state prosecutors disclosed that Quramax had imported the medicines at an inflated price. The medicines were reportedly purchased through two intermediary companies based in Singapore.
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