Joel Abraham has refuted claims levelled at him for promoting Ray Pharmaceuticals as the wholesaler for pharmacies to purchase from.

The Fijian Competition and Consumer Council (FCCC) chief executive officer, in doing so, told journalists to back their questions with facts.

“I would not say that I have been promoting any company. As a journalist, when you question the credibility of the head of an independent institution, come with facts,” he said.

“It is highly offensive to ask questions regarding any credibility with zero evidence. That’s poor journalism.

“If a particular business is doing well, what we do is we’ll promote them.

“We said good things about McDonald’s and Burger King when they reduced their prices.”

“Just today I thanked healthcare international, Johnson and Johnson and Extra Supermarket for reducing their prices during COVID-19.”

Mr Abraham said that Ray Pharmaceuticals was a company that ensured it placed large orders to secure medicinal supplies during that point in time, so the FCCC thanked them as well.

“We don’t decide, nor do we dictate who the private sector can purchase from, so if a particular pharmacist wants to buy from Ray or any other pharmacy, they’re free to do so,” he said.

“We don’t ask and we don’t recommend a particular trade and definitely not saying that this is the wholesale of choice.”

He said FCCC had never done that with any business or any sector that it regulates and the organisation was a highly credible one.

“I am not on anybody’s payroll and I have not been promoting Ray Pharmaceuticals. I treat Ray Pharmaceuticals and Hyperchem like I treat any other business. There is no favouritism, and in most cases, I don’t deal with them,” Mr Abraham said.

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