Fake milk powder investigation leads to 40 arrests
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) The investigation into the fake baby milk, produced and distributed in the Anhui province, which has killed at least 16 infants and sickened 229 more, has resulted in the arrests of 40 people, as cover-ups and bribery heighten the scandal.
Two of those detained are Bai Qixiang and Li Tingjun, officials with the local Bureau of Industry and Commerce, who were said to have known that the fake milk powder was being sold in Fuyang. A man whose child had died of malnutrition due to the substandard milk powder told the officials of the product being sold in the city. Bai, however, allegedly accepted a 1,000-Yuan bribe from the vendor who sold it, and the case was covered-up. The vendor has also been detained. Only one person involved in manufacturing the powder has been arrested.
The investigation, led by Zheng Xiaoyu, director of the State Food and Drug Administration, was ordered by Premier Wen Jiabao, and has so far led to the questioning of 203 people in connection with the case. Over 100,000 bags of substandard milk powder have been confiscated. Mr. Zheng told the People's Daily that the findings were only the preliminary results. "The related departments are using this incident as a clue, and they will continue to check milk powder production, packaging, sales and other phases to find the source, and stringently crack-down."
A total of 229 infants born since March of last year were found to be suffering from malnutrition after drinking the fake formula, made from used flour, sucrose and other ingredients. Varying reports of the number of infant deaths found that three infants, whose deaths had been attributed to the fake milk, were found to have died of other diseases. Still, two other infant deaths were reported due to nutritional deficiencies because of the milk powder, bringing the total to 12 in the city of Fuyang. Three babies from Chongqing and one from Hubei have also died due to the substandard formula.
Substandard milk powder has been found also in other provinces and municipalities.
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13/07/2010
