Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and several former Cabinet Ministers have been named as witnesses in the high-profile case filed against former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella over the procurement of substandard antibody vaccines.
A total of nearly 350 individuals have been listed as witnesses in the case. Among them are prominent political figures including former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and former Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Douglas Devananda, and Roshan Ranasinghe. Several medical professionals, including Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, Chairman of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), are also among the witnesses.
In addition to the extensive witness list, the prosecution has submitted nearly 300 pieces of case-related material as evidence.
The Attorney General has filed indictments before a specially appointed three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court against 12 accused, including former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. The charges stem from the alleged purchase and supply of substandard antibody vaccines.
Given the significance of the matter, the Attorney General previously requested the Chief Justice to appoint a three-judge bench, citing the case as one of public importance. In response, Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya designated a bench comprising High Court Judges Mahesh Weeraman, Pradeep Abeyratne, and Amali Ranaweera to preside over the trial.
The indictments, formally presented before this bench, include 13 charges against the accused. These charges relate to a conspiracy to fraudulently misappropriate Rs. 1.444 billion from public funds by supplying 6,195 vials of non-medicinal substances—labelled as Human Immunoglobulin and Ritopsimap—to the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry of Health. The charges include criminal misappropriation of state funds.
