India's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is to investigate whether there was any bribery angle to the recent Maiden Pharmaceuticals cough syrup scandal and whether samples tested in Indian laboratories were switched.
According to media reports, ACB received a tip-off in a letter dated 29 April from a Haryana-based lawyer, Yashpal, who said that the state's drug controller, Manmohan Taneja, had been bribed INR 50Mln ($605,000) by a representative of Maiden Pharmaceuticals to switch the samples before they were tested in an Indian government laboratory.
Yashpal, in his letter, alleged that Taneja had been taking bribes to approve products and issue drug licenses since 2021 but he didn't provide any evidence to support his claim.
He also didn't name any local distributor or anyone for fear of retribution.
Maiden Pharmaceuticals is accused of supplying adulterated cough syrups, which most likely killed 70 children in Gambia. After the incident, the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that the syrup had been contaminated and issued an alert against Maiden Pharma, but Indian laboratories contradicted WHO months later.
However, the manufacturer's main factory and operations have been closed since October.
No official statement has yet been made by the Haryana state government.