Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited (TPL) and its Group Chairman, Elder Dr. Samuel Amo Tobbin, faced significant distress following allegations of importing fake drugs into Ghana.
This is according to the Head of Regulatory Affairs at Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Justice Philip Annan.
He said the issue deeply troubled the company and its leadership.
He made this known during an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Tuesday, after the company was cleared of the allegations.
According to him, his boss, Dr, Tobbin was worried that he was being accused of something he had not done.
“This matter affected and troubled him, his family, his church, and everyone around him. But even in troubled times, he thanked God, and he will continue to thank God after this ruling. He is a happy man now” he said.
The ruling, delivered by Her Ladyship Audrey Kocuvie-Tay at the High Court in Accra on July 29, 2024, contradicted claims made by the former Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni.
The legal battle between Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited and the FDA began on July 19, 2019, when TPL filed a lawsuit against the FDA, accusing the authority of abusing its statutory powers.
The company sought damages for the harm caused by the FDA’s actions.
But Mr. Annan said the matter has been a long and painful journey.
“It caused significant distress not just to him but to his entire family” he noted.
The controversy dates back to the period between September and December 2013 when Dr. Opuni, then CEO of the FDA, initiated a series of actions against Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited.
These actions were based on accusations that the company had imported fake drugs into Ghana.
As part of these measures, the FDA locked Tobinco’s warehouses nationwide, leading to significant embarrassment for the company and its chairman.
The regulator also disposed of Tobinco’s products, causing substantial financial losses as the products expired rapidly. Additionally, the FDA banned Bliss GVS Pharma Limited, Tobinco’s principal business partner at the time, from exporting drugs to Ghana.
This ban, coupled with the labeling of Tobinco’s drugs as fake, led to the confiscation of the company’s products from customers.
The situation further escalated when Dr. Opuni reported Elder Dr. Tobbin to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), resulting in his arrest and detention at the Nima Police Station on December 2, 2013.
This incident caused considerable distress to his family, relatives, and employees.
In a statement released by TPL on Sunday, August 11, the company expressed its relief at being cleared of the allegations, and Elder Dr. Tobbin reaffirmed his commitment to the company and his faith.
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