The Ministry of Health has said it will take legal action against tycoon Uch Sambath after his health products were banned from sale as part of a crackdown on counterfeit supplements.

The Ministry has not released any further details of the action it plans to take and under what charges.

It claimed it swiftly and forcefully responded to Sambath, who threatened to sue the Ministry for banning his health supplement products.

Meanwhile, Sambath requested Prime Minister Hun Manet’s intervention on September 30 through his Facebook page, seeking “justice for him and to allow him to run the business”.

On September 24, the Ministry of Health banned the sale and distribution of Ginseng Pro, B, / Bott /30, a health supplement product of KROUSARKORKDAO CO., LTD, a company owned by Sambath.

The ban was imposed because the National Health Products Quality Control Center found that the supplement contains dexamethasone and prednisolone, two steroids that can cause serious health problems in long-term consumers, the Ministry said in a statement.

However, Sambath issued a letter of public clarification and threatened to sue the Ministry for banning his health supplement, Ginseng Pro.

He rejected the ban, claiming that the company had been registered in accordance with Cambodian law and that he imported the product from Bio Grand Co., Ltd., which is recognized by the Thai Ministry of Health.

In defending its decision to ban Ginseng Pro products, the Ministry stated that it regularly collects samples of food, medicine, health products, and cosmetics from the market to ensure public health, and that it has done the same with Ginseng Pro products.

“The Ministry also noted that Sambath had signed a contract with the Ministry of Health on September 5 to keep the health supplement off the shelves and report to the Ministry no later than September 15.

“Under the terms of the contract, the company collected the capsules in 1,670 boxes and agreed to destroy them no later than September 18 in the presence of health officials. The company also agreed to pay a fine of $1,250 to the Ministry of Health if it relocated without permission.”

The Ministry said it has already issued a closure notice to the company.

Ouch Vuthy, President of the Virtuous Medical Association, told Kiripost that the Ministry must take strict legal action against the company because the supplements are not safe or effective and can cause long-term health problems.

When asked why the Ministry would take action against the company's supplements, even though similar supplements have been sold and distributed in Cambodia for a long time, Vuthy said the effectiveness of enforcement depends on the willingness of government workers to investigate and take action against companies that are selling unsafe or ineffective products.

“In our country, corruption is so widespread that wealthy companies can pay officials under the table to avoid laboratory inspections and run their businesses legally, even if their products are not safe," he said.

If government workers are not willing to investigate and take action against violators, then regulations will be ineffective, Vuthy said.

To protect Cambodian people's interests, Vuthy urged the Government and public to work together to report companies that violate the law, adding they should be punished in accordance with the law, especially companies that are protected by powerful people.

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