Suspect wants mineral water in jail
Judge grants former additional secretary water, family visitation during his week under remand
Judge grants former additional secretary water, family visitation during his week under remand. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
A government official, accused of misusing his authority to allow pharmaceutical companies to inflate prices, has argued that he is entitled to the finer things in life, even behind bars.
Former health ministry official Dr Muhammad Ali has requested that he be supplied with mineral water and a physician-approved low oil and low spice diet, among other things, while he is being investigated for his alleged involvement in a drug price-fixing case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), it emerged on Friday.
The details surfaced when the former grade-21 health ministry officer filed an application before an accountability court seeking an injunction to provide him with proper medication, a medicated diet, and pure drinking water.
While taking his physician’s advice to heart, the former official and member of the Drugs Pricing Committee (DPC) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) – an attached department of the health ministry – has sought medical attention from the court.
Women inmates enduring horrific conditions
The counsel said that Ali, who is in physical custody of NAB authorities after the court granted physical remand for 10 days, suffers from various ailments including heart and gastrointestinal problems, needs proper medications, a medicated diet, and pure drinking water, along with “reasonable” visits from his family.
Further, He prayed the court to direct the investigation officer and NAB confinement cell in-charge to allow Ali’s wife, son and daughter to meet him in jail, provide him with custom meals without oil and spices, clean water and medicines.
He added that Ali should be provided all possible facilities which a person in confinement is entitled to.
Following the arguments, accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir allowed the applicant to be granted access to mineral water and a meeting with his family.
The most dreaded prison of Pakistan
He, however, remarked that the family should not be worried as the anti-graft body is perfectly capable of ensuring the suspect’s health.
The court also granted seven-day physical remand of Arshad Farooq Faheem, a former chairman of the Drugs Pricing Committee.
NAB has already arrested eight people, including Ali and the additional secretary of the Federal Ombudsman, for their alleged involvement in the case.
Other suspects include the owners and chief executives of various pharmaceutical companies — Ahsan Feroze, Arif Aziz Akhai, Amir Saddique, Saifur Rehman, Khalilur Rehman, Rizwan Umer and Muqtadir Javaid.
Earlier, Faheem was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises on November 24 after a division bench dismissed his pre-arrest bail application.
NAB’s additional deputy prosecutor general, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, claimed before the court that Faheem gave illegal financial benefits to eight pharmaceutical companies by allowing illegal price increases for their drugs, causing losses to the public to the tune of approximately Rs1.08 billion. He maintained that members of Drug Pricing Committee in connivance with beneficiary firms undue financial benefits.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2016.
A government official, accused of misusing his authority to allow pharmaceutical companies to inflate prices, has argued that he is entitled to the finer things in life, even behind bars.
Former health ministry official Dr Muhammad Ali has requested that he be supplied with mineral water and a physician-approved low oil and low spice diet, among other things, while he is being investigated for his alleged involvement in a drug price-fixing case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), it emerged on Friday.
The details surfaced when the former grade-21 health ministry officer filed an application before an accountability court seeking an injunction to provide him with proper medication, a medicated diet, and pure drinking water.
While taking his physician’s advice to heart, the former official and member of the Drugs Pricing Committee (DPC) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) – an attached department of the health ministry – has sought medical attention from the court.
Women inmates enduring horrific conditions
The counsel said that Ali, who is in physical custody of NAB authorities after the court granted physical remand for 10 days, suffers from various ailments including heart and gastrointestinal problems, needs proper medications, a medicated diet, and pure drinking water, along with “reasonable” visits from his family.
Further, He prayed the court to direct the investigation officer and NAB confinement cell in-charge to allow Ali’s wife, son and daughter to meet him in jail, provide him with custom meals without oil and spices, clean water and medicines.
He added that Ali should be provided all possible facilities which a person in confinement is entitled to.
Following the arguments, accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir allowed the applicant to be granted access to mineral water and a meeting with his family.
The most dreaded prison of Pakistan
He, however, remarked that the family should not be worried as the anti-graft body is perfectly capable of ensuring the suspect’s health.
The court also granted seven-day physical remand of Arshad Farooq Faheem, a former chairman of the Drugs Pricing Committee.
NAB has already arrested eight people, including Ali and the additional secretary of the Federal Ombudsman, for their alleged involvement in the case.
Other suspects include the owners and chief executives of various pharmaceutical companies — Ahsan Feroze, Arif Aziz Akhai, Amir Saddique, Saifur Rehman, Khalilur Rehman, Rizwan Umer and Muqtadir Javaid.
Earlier, Faheem was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises on November 24 after a division bench dismissed his pre-arrest bail application.
NAB’s additional deputy prosecutor general, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, claimed before the court that Faheem gave illegal financial benefits to eight pharmaceutical companies by allowing illegal price increases for their drugs, causing losses to the public to the tune of approximately Rs1.08 billion. He maintained that members of Drug Pricing Committee in connivance with beneficiary firms undue financial benefits.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2016.