A Dhaka court yesterday said the three Rid Pharmaceuticals officials, charged with manufacturing adulterated paracetamol syrup, would be tried in absentia.
Judge Mohammad Abdul Majid of the Drug Court passed the order as the accused — Director Abdul Gani and Pharmacists Mahbubul Islam and Enamul Haque — failed to appear before the court within the deadline.
Upon receipt of a report from Brahmanbaria police on execution of arrest warrants against the three, the same court on April 25 asked the authorities concerned to publish advertisements in two Bangla dailies asking the officials to appear before it by May 26.
But the officials did not comply with it.
Police earlier took more than eight months to submit a report before the Drug Court that the accused were absconding.
Brahmanbaria police, however, on April 25 placed the report on execution of arrest warrants against the three.
The court said non-submission of the report was delaying the trial.
Mizanur Rahman, managing director of the company and his wife Sheuly Rahman, also a director, now on bail, were present at the court during the hearing of the case.
On August 11 last year, five officials of the company were charged with producing adulterated paracetamol syrup that caused death to 28 children across the country from June to August last year.
The Dhaka Drug Court issued the arrest warrants against the five after Directorate of Drug Administration Superintendent Shafiqul Islam filed the case with it on the same day.
A total of four cases, including one in Brahmanbaria, were filed outside Dhaka in this connection
Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=140226#