The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi has arrested Punjab Health Department’s Deputy Drugs Controller Ayaz Ali Khan—who is presently on deportation as Pakistan Drugs Testing and Research Centre Chief Operating Officer—in a mega corruption drug case.
The accused person gave wrongful financial benefits to different pharmaceutical companies in the shape of illegal price increase of their drugs causing loss to the public at large to the tune of Rs441.8 million.
As per detail, Ayaz Ali Khan has been found involved in commission of offence (s) corruption and corrupt practices as he being member of 5th DPC meeting in connivance with other members and beneficiaries, knowingly and dishonestly has given undue and illegal price increase to certain drugs in violation of drug Act and rules, without asking relevant current import invoices of the raw material and costing data on prescribed performa.
In some cases, he in connivance with other members even gave illegal price increase on incomplete/incorrect costing data / inflated import invoices of raw material and finished drugs as the data submitted by the Pharmaceutical companies was not even verified while granting price increase.
Moreover, he in connivance with others members and beneficiaries did not even evaluate data submitted by the pharmaceutical companies in the light of rules and regulations while granting price increase.
The above mentioned accused, in connivance with other accused persons, by misusing his authority extended undue and illegal financial benefits to the pharmaceuticals who submitted incomplete costing data, in the shape of illegal and unjustified increase of their drugs prices.
In the same mega scam, NAB has already arrested 12 accused persons namely Dr Muhammad Ali (the then secretary cum member Drugs Pricing Committee), Ahsan Feroze, Arif Aziz Akhai, Amir Siddique, Saif-ur-Rehman and Khalil-ur-Rehman, Rizwan Umer and Muqtadir, MA Javaid and others.
