Rid Pharmaceuticals owner, wife turn themselves in, obtain bail

Mizanur Rahman, owner of Rid Pharmaceuticals, and his wife Sheuli Rahman have obtained bail after turning themselves in at court over charges of selling adulterated medicine and causing the deaths of several children.

The two turned themselves in at Dhaka’s Drug Court around 11:50 am on Sunday and petitioned for bail.

The petition was heard by Justice Atowar Rahman, who then set bail at Tk 10,000 for each of them, said their lawyer, Jahid Bhuiyan.

Lawyers Mahmud Hossain Jahangir and Nadim Miah represented the state at the hearing. They did not oppose the bail decision.

A bench of High Court Justices AKM Asaduzzaman and Rajik Al Jalil ordered five Rid Pharmaceuticals officials, including the Rahmans, to turn themselves in after hearing an appeal against their acquittal by a trial court on Mar 9.

According to defence counsel Anwar Jahid, the other defendants have not turned themselves in because they have yet to receive a copy of the High Court order.

At least 28 children died across the country in 2009 after consuming Paracetamol syrup made by the Brahmanbarhia-based Rid Pharmaceuticals.

Assistant Director Shafiqul Islam of the Directorate of Drug Administration filed the case at the drug court and was placed in charge of the investigation.

“ … Shafiqul Islam did not follow proper procedure in filing the seizure list and results from the chemical tests,” the court said in its observation.

“The fact that he did not take the necessary steps for filing the case shows his inability and inefficiency.”   

Arrest warrants were issued by the drug court the day after Shafiqul Islam filed the case on Aug 10, 2009. Four more cases were then filed against Rid Pharmaceuticals in Brahmanbarhia and other places in the country.

Charges were brought against Managing Director Mizanur Rahman on Mar 9, 2011. He turned himself in at a Dhaka court and was sent to prison.

His wife Sheuli secured bail from High Court. The other three accused were absconding.

The case details suggest the children died due to poisonous elements in paracetamol manufactured by Rid Pharmaceuticals.

But investigator Shafiqul Islam in the chargesheet given to the court said chemicals tests could not trace the presence of the poisonous Diethylene glycol in the drug. The paracetamol was simply of low quality, he said.

The trial court then acquitted Mizanur Rahman and the four others on Nov 28, 2016.