Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: NAB Rawalpindi has arrested Arshad Farooq Faheem (The then Chairman Drugs Pricing Committee, DRAP) Additional Secretary (BPS-21) Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat in the mega corruption drug case. The accused person gave wrongful financial benefits to eight pharmaceutical companies /firms 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 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 (The then Secretary cum Member Drugs Pricing Committee), Ex member pricing (BPS-21) DRAP, 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 MA Javaid, Directors of M/s Martin Dow Ltd. They were produced before the Judge Accountability Court, Islamabad where a 10-day physical remand had been granted for investigation.

As per investigation report, the NAB Rawalpindi submitted in the court that the members of Drug Pricing Committee in connivance with beneficiary Pharma companies / firms extended undue financial benefits to pharmaceutical companies / firms in the shape of illegal and unjustified price increase of their drugs through a DPC meeting held on 09-10-2012 & 22-01-2013 and a sub-committee meeting held on 19-11-2012.

The wrongful financial benefits derived by the eight pharmaceutical companies / firms on the basis of price increase through afore mentioned 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 their drugs at 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 an 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 an unbearable burden on the 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.