State Prosecutor Denies Receiving File on Illegal Import of Medications

State Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi stressed that he did not receive any file related to forging certificates of laboratory tests and illegal import of medications, An Nahar daily reported on Saturday.

“The judiciary has not received any file on forging certificates of more than one hundred medications,” Madi told the daily, pointing out “the last file received by the judiciary on a similar issue was in October and that was different from the one spoken about today.”

Media reports said Friday that the brother of Hizbullah's Minister of State for Administrative Reform Mohammad Fneish might be involved in forging certificates of laboratory tests.

Following the scandal, Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil announced that he sent the file to the judiciary on October 9, reported An Nahar.

In a statement however issued by his press office Saturday, the minister said he referred the file to the Justice Ministry on October 12.

In a statement Friday, Fneish said he would not protect anyone found guilty in the case of illegally imported medications.

“I will not cover any of those involved in forgery certificates of laboratory analysis and the health minster's signing of some drugs. This matter is left to the relevant department and the judiciary to take all administrative and judicial measures if the charge proved to be correct,” said Fneish in the statement.

Reports say the forgery has been lingering on for about ten months and when it was exposed the health minister claimed it was referred to the judiciary a month ago.

However Madi denied receiving anything in that regard.

Head of Parliament’s Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs committee MP Atef Majdalani called it a “scandal” and said Thursday that more than 100 medications had been illegally imported into Lebanon.