Indian national sentenced in contaminated Cough Syrup cough syrups case in Uzbekistan

The apex court of Uzbekistan on Monday sentenced total 21 people in the case of death of 68 children linked with contaminated cough syrups produced by India’s Marion Biotech after six-month-long trial.

Out of total 21 people given 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, one Indian national businessman Raghavendra Pratap has also been found guilty of corruption, fraud and forgery and has been sentenced for life-term. He was found guilty of tax evasion, sale of substandard or counterfeit medicines, abuse of office, negligence, forgery, and bribery.

Raghvendra Prata, an executive director of Quramax Medical, a company that sold medicines produced by India’s Marion Biotech in Uzbekistan, was handed the longest – 20-year – prison term.

The court decided that compensation amounting to $80,000 (1 billion Uzbek sums) would be paid to each of the families of 68 children who died from consumption of the syrup, as well as to four other children who became disabled.