Indonesia jails director and three others in deadly cough syrup case

According to an indictment, the company Afi Farma is accused of producing cough syrup containing excessive amounts of toxic substances, and prosecutors have charged the four executives with “willfully” failing to test the ingredients, despite having the means and responsibility to do so.

Indonesia fires director and three managers in deadly cough syrup case photo 1 — Photo: Reuters

The company's lawyer, Reza Wendra Prayogo, said they denied negligence and the company was considering whether to appeal. The officials, including CEO Arief Prasetya Harahap, were sentenced to two years in prison by a court in Kediri, East Java province, where the company is based.

Prosecutors, who sought a nine-year prison sentence for the defendant, said Afi Farma failed to check ingredients sent by suppliers and instead relied solely on certificates provided by them on product quality and safety.

Indonesia's drug regulator BPOM does not require drug makers to conduct rigorous testing of ingredients, the company's lawyer said.

Countries are scrambling to tighten drug safety after a wave of poisonings linked to contaminated cough syrup killed hundreds of children in countries such as Gambia and Uzbekistan.

Trung Kien (according to Reuters)

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