ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday arrested eight persons, including Dr Muhammad Ali, former secretary and member of the Drugs Pricing Committee (DPC) of the federal health ministry, in a corruption case of over Rs1 billion.

Others held by NAB were owners and chief executives of various pharmaceutical companies — Ahsan Feroze, Arif Aziz Akhai, Amir Saddique, Saifur Rehman, Khalilur Rehman, Rizwan Umer and Muqtadir M.A. Javaid.

“They were accused of wrongful financial benefits derived on the basis of price increase to the tune of Rs1.078bn out of which Rs400 million has already been recovered,” a spokesman said.

According to a report prepared by NAB investigator Muhammad Saleem Ahmad Khan, the members of the DPC, in connivance with the beneficiary pharmaceutical companies, extended undue financial benefits to the companies in the shape of illegal and unjustified price increase of their medicines through the committee’s meetings held on Oct 9, 2012 and Jan 22, 2013 and a sub-committee meeting held on Nov 19, 2012.

During investigation, it was revealed that the companies, in connivance with accused officers, submitted incomplete, incorrect and inflated invoices to the Drug Regulatory Authority for getting exorbitant prices fixed.

Two persons, Tariq Haider and Mian Muhammad Khalid, were arrested but released by an accountability court after payment of their liability of Rs380m.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2016