The state has summoned Cosmas Mukaratirwa, the father of a five-year-old child who has been awarded a pharmaceutical supply tender worth N$1,3 billion, to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on 5 December.
According to court documents, Mukaratirwa was summoned in a criminal case in connection with the alleged supply of unregistered medicine worth N$650 000 to the government’s Central Medical Stores in 2019.
The charges are related to a contravention of section 18(1) of the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act.
Mukaratirwa was arrested at Hosea Kutako International Airport in November 2021.
He was released on a warning at the time, but this decision was questioned by magistrate Celma Amadhila.
At the time, there was confusion about whether the state had paid for the medicine, but it later transpired that the state was refunded.
Mukaratirwa’s lawyer, Matilda Jankie-Shakwa, earlier this year told The Namibian that the state withdrew the case.
Mukaratirwa is currently embroiled in a High Court case in which businessman Shapwa Kanyama’s company Africure Pharmaceutical asked for a temporary court order to stop the N$1,3 billion pharmaceutical supply tender from being awarded to Mukaratirwa’s company Cospharm Investment.
The tender is for the supply of medicine used in the treatment of cancer and psychotic disorders, and is on hold until the review process into the manner in which the tender was evaluated is completed.
Africure Pharmaceutical and the company Erongomed Health Distributors took the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) to the Review Panel two months ago, claiming the awarding of the tender was irregular.
They argued that the initial disqualification of Cospharm should stand because the company was among the 22 bidders initially not selected for the tender on 23 April.
The company was disqualified for failing to initial next to an overwritten mistake in its bid and for not responding to the CPBN’s enquiries.
Last month, finance and public enterprises ministry, Iipumbu Shiimi, told the parliament that a minor owning a company is not a procurement issue but a company law matter.
The issue was first raised by Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Nico Smit, who questioned the ownership structure of the company and its eligibility for the contract.
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