Plea accepted: Former DG health granted bail

Anti-corruption court orders Dr Chohan be released from prison.

PESHAWAR:

An anti-corruption court on Friday accepted the bail plea of former director general health and incumbent medical superintendent of Maulvi G Hospital, Dr Muhammad Ali Chohan, who was earlier arrested for his alleged involvement in the substandard interferon scandal.

Chohan’s legal advisor Advocate Ghulam Muhiuddin Malik told the judge, Fazal Subhan, a Supreme Court bench had already accepted the bail request of former DG Health Dr Sharif Ahmed Khan and project director Ghulam Subhani.



“So far, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has not provided any solid proof against my client to prove him guilty. The inquiry of the case is being conducted from various angles and my client be granted bail,” he argued.

After hearing the arguments, the judge granted bail to Chohan and ordered his release from prison for a sum of Rs200,000 and two guarantors.

Former DG health Dr Sharif Khan and former project director Ghulam Subhani were earlier granted bail by the Supreme Court after their pleas were rejected by the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

The officials, including storekeeper Mubarak Shah, were arrested by the ACE on April 2 over their alleged involvement in the procurement of substandard interferon vaccines worth Rs250 million. The vaccines, used to cure hepatitis C, were supplied to state-run hospitals.



The PHC has already directed the ACE to contact Interpol to bring back the owner of Pharmedic, the pharmaceutical company responsible for manufacturing the 1.6 million substandard vials. It also asked the ACE to seize all the assets of the company’s owner.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2013.