Islamabad(Online): NAB Rawalpindi has arrested Arshad Farooq Faheem former Chairman Drugs Pricing Committee, Additional Secretary (BPS-21) Wapaqi Mohtasib Secretariat in mega corruption drug case.
The accused person gave wrongful financial benefits to the eight pharmaceutical companies in the shape of illegal price increase of their drugs causing loss to the public at large to the tune of Rs. 1078.08 million approximately out of which an amount of Rs. 400 million has already been recovered.
In the same case ,NAB has already arrested eight accused persons namely Dr. Muhammad Ali another BPS-21 officer and ex Secretary cum Member Drugs Pricing Committee,Ahsan Feroze, Director of M/s Maple Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Ltd, Arif Aziz Akhai, proprietor M/s Akhai Agencies,Amir Saddique, Director of Excel Health Care Laboratories (Pvt) Ltd, Saif-ur-Rehman & Khalil-ur-Rehman, Directors of M/s Galaxy Pharma (Pvt) Ltd, Rizwan Umer & Muqtadir M. A. Javaid, Directors of M/s Martin Dow Ltd.
All the accused were produced before the Judge Accountability Court. As per investigation report , NAB Rawalpindi submitted in the court that the members of Drug Pricing Committee in connivance with beneficiary Pharma firms extended undue financial benefits to them in the shape of illegal and unjustified price increase ofb their drugs through DPC meeting held on 09-10-2012 & 22-01-2013 and subcommittee meeting held on 19-11-2012. The wrongful financial benefits derived by the eight pharmaceutical companies / firms on the basis of price increase through above said meetings comes to be Rs. 1078.08 M appox till 30-6-2015.
This illegal benefit is perpetually being gained by the pharmaceutical companies / firms who submitted inflated invoices / incorrect / incomplete costing data and were selling of their drugs on prices which were illegally increased by the members of DPC.
During the process of Investigation, it revealed that the Pharmaceutical companies in connivance with accused Officers/ Officials submitted incomplete/incorrect and inflated invoices to DRAP for fixation of drugs prices at exorbitant rates. Due to illegal price hike in the DPC meetings held on 09-10-2012 & 22-01-2013 and sub-committee meeting held on 19-11-2012 approx Rs. 1078.08 million has been pocketed by these
Pharmaceutical companies causing unbearable burden on general public. In this case, two accused persons namely Tariq Haider and Mian Muhammad Khalid were arrested but released by the Accountability Court after payment of their liability of Rs. 385.12 million and Rs. 15 million from the directors of M/s Saffron Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd .
The Director General NAB Rawalpindi Attiq-ur-Rehman has said that NAB under the leadership of Mr. Qamar Zaman Chaudary, Chairman NAB is committed to eradicate corruption by adopting Zero Tolerance Policy across the board.
He appreciated Mr. Muhammad Saleem Ahmad Khan, Investigation Officer; NAB Rawalpindi for putting extra efforts in nabbing these corrupts thus bringing them behind the bar in line with NAB’s Enforcement Strategy.
