PARACETAMOL SYRUP ADULTERATION: Six jailed for 10 years in each of 2 cases

The Drug Court in Dhaka on Monday sentenced six people to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years in each of two cases for adulteration of paracetamol syrup that reportedly caused the death of 76 children in 1992.
The judge of the court, M Atoar Rahman, also fiend the convicts – BCI (Bangladesh) Ltd directors Shajahan Sarker, ASM Badruddoza Chowdhury and Nurun Nahar, its executive director Shamsul Haque, production manager Md Tajul Haque and quality control manager Ayesha Khatun – Tk 2 lakh each and said that they would need to serve six more months in jail if the failed to pay the fine.
Shajahan was present during the pronouncement of the verdict, while the rest five were still in hiding.
The court pronounced two verdicts in the two cases, filed on the same matter based on laboratory tests of the analgesic syrup brand of different batches.
The court examined three prosecution witnesses – Abul Khayer Chowdhury, who filed the cases November 30, 1992, Farhad Hossain and Dr Md Abu Bakar Siddique.
The investigation officer submitted charge sheet before the court against the six accused on January 2, 1993 while the court framed charges against them on August 2, 1994.
BCI was among the five companies tested positive for adulterating their paracetamol syrup brands using
diethylene glycol, meant for tannery and rubber industries, instead of propylene glycol as diethylene glycol was cheaper.
Analgesic syrup containing diethylene glycol caused kidney diseases in at least 339 children from 1990 to 1992, and at least 76 of them died across the country.
Four of the five companies, including BCI, were prosecuted in 1992 and 1993, for adulterating its paracetamol syrup brand ‘Paracem.’
In 1994, the owners of all the four companies secured High Court orders staying the proceedings in the cases.
Although the stay of two cases against BCI was cancelled in 2011, the trial could not begin in the next two years as the complainant, Directorate General of Drug Administration director Abul Khayer Chowdhury, did not appear before the court to testify against the company despite being summoned on 18 occasions.
The trial, however, began on August 7, 2014 and the court sent Abul Khayer to jail for defying summon. Khayer was, however, released later on condition of regular appearance before the court.
The same Drug Court on July 22 delivered a judgement sentencing three top bosses of Adflame Pharmaceuticals to rigorous imprisonment for
10 years and fined Tk 2 lakh each.
The rest of the cases ware still pending with the court.

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