COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan court remanded a senior minister in custody on Saturday over the purchase of fake medicines for state hospitals when he was in charge of the health portfolio.

Former health minister Keheliya Rambukwella was ordered to be held until Feb 15 pending investigations into a 144 million rupee ($465,000) scam involving what were meant to be life-saving drugs. Rambukwella is currently the environment minister.

Police told the court in Colombo the health ministry had intended to buy a stock of the antibody immunoglobulin, which is used on immune-compromised patients. What the ministry paid for turned out to be mostly water.

`The drug had been issued to hospitals between July and September when patients reported adverse reactions triggering quality tests,` an investigator said.

It was not clear if there were deaths associated with the use of the fake medication.

The Criminal Investigations Department began questioning Rambukwella on Friday and took him before a magistrate`s court, where the judge ordered his detention.

Several other key health ministry officials have already been arrested.-AFP