A drug inspector in Pakistan has spilled the beans on corruption within the state department which is fuelling the trade in fake medicines.
IPN has long argued that state corruption and weak rule of law are leading factors in the dissemination of fakes.
The inspector revealed that cases often sit in the courts for up to a decade, while the criminals keep operating, or simply move elsewhere to escape conviction.
"Vested interests" in the government are blamed for deliberately stifling justice.
"Due to the vested interests of a few notorious people at the QCB [Quality Control Board], these cases are still pending and have been put off for special meetings — which may or may not take place,” added a police official in Karachi.
Meanwhile the inspector said: “Piles of cases have been filed in the Sindh Drugs Court, but all of it seems in vain as the court is busy dealing with cases that had been registered nine or 10 years ago”.
Another senior official at the department revealed that honest inspectors have been moved away from their work with no justification, policies which "highlighted that corruption that is rampant in the department”.
“The department has become a den for money makers and criminals, where good performances at work can be brought against you,” he said.
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