The High Court yesterday directed five officials of Rid Pharmaceuticals Ltd, who were acquitted in a case filed over the manufacture of toxic Paracetamol syrup that killed 28 children in 2009, to surrender before the trial court within 7 days. After accepting an appeal filed by the government against the trial court order, the HC bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Rajik Al Jalil directed all the five officials of the Rid Pharmaceuticals Ltd to surrender before the trial court. A Dhaka court, on November 28 last year, acquitted all five officials of Rid Pharmaceuticals Ltd in a case filed over the manufacture of toxic Paracetamol syrup that killed 28 children across Bangladesh in 2009.  The officials are Rid Pharma Managing Director Mizanur Rahman, directors Sheuli Rahman, the wife of Mizanur Rahman, and Abdul Gani, and pharmacists Mahbubul Islam and Enamul Haque.
In January this year, the government filed an appeal with the HC seeking punishment for the Rid Pharmaceuticals officials and challenging the trial court order.
Assistant Attorney General Bashir Ahmed said that the trial court order acquitting the Rid Pharmaceuticals officials were not correct. “We sought proper punishment for them,” he added.
Among the five officials of Rid Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mizanur Rahman and his wife Sheuli Rahman were on bail after the filing of the case against them, while the other three are still at large.
From June to August in 2009, a total of 28 children died across the country of renal failure caused by the intake of the Paracetamol syrup and suspension manufactured by Rid Pharma.
On August 10, 2009, drug superintendent Shafiqul Islam filed the case with the Dhaka Drug Court against the accused persons.