A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced 23 individuals, including an Indian national, to prison terms over the deaths of 68 children linked to contaminated cough syrups produced by India's Marion Biotech. The verdict comes after a comprehensive six-month-long trial.
Uzbekistan had initially
reported 65 deaths associated with the medicines, but prosecutors at the
Tashkent city court updated the death toll last month, revealing that two more
individuals had been charged during the hearings.
The defendants faced a range of
charges, including tax evasion, sale of substandard or counterfeit medicines,
abuse of office, negligence, forgery, and bribery. Singh Raghvendra Pratar, an
executive director of Quramax Medical, a company selling medicines produced by
India's Marion Biotech in Uzbekistan, received the longest prison term of 20
years.
Former senior officials
responsible for licensing imported medicines were also sentenced to significant
terms. The court ruled that each family of the 68 deceased children would
receive compensation totaling $80,000 (1 billion Uzbek sums). Additionally,
four other children who became disabled due to the syrup will also be
compensated.
Parents of eight other children
affected by the drug will receive compensation ranging from $16,000 to $40,000.
The court's decision stipulates that the compensation will be collected from
seven of the convicted individuals, as outlined in the Supreme Court statement.
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