ACC seeks charges against 11 health ministry officials, incl. minister

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is seeking charges against 11 health ministry officials, including the health minister, in the alleged corruption in procuring 75 ventilators from Dubai-based Executors General Trading.

The commission forwarded the case for prosecution on Wednesday, and are seeking charges against;

The Auditor General’s Office had in August ordered an investigation into the health ministry’s decision to contract Dubai-based Executors General Trading to import 75 ventilators, as part of the government’s work to strengthen the country’s health care system amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

While the now dissolved National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) officials as well as Health Minister Abdulla Ameen had previously said that authorities were following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) with close cooperation with its country office in Covid-19 related actions, the audit report states that WHO officials had denied endorsing the company.

The initial audit carried out by the Auditor General’s Office uncovered that 11 ventilators which were supplied by Executors General Trading were not the brand of ventilators they had been contracted to procure, and did not meet the requirements. It also highlighted that the company was contracted to procure the ventilators at a higher price than other suppliers.

It also found that the ministry had paid MVR 30 million (90 percent of the advance payment), 75 percent in early April and 15 percent later, without securing an advance payment guarantee.

The ACC investigation shows that it was Health Minister Ameen that introduced Executors General Trading as a potential to the Bid Committee.

He is to have provided a contact of the company top the health ministry’s Finance Executive Director Ahmed Aslam, indicating it was obtained through WHO.

Hence, considering that the company was endorsed by WHO, Bid Committee members awarded the project to the company without conducting the due diligence.

ACC said that the members had acted “on the information provided by Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen”.

Further, the investigation also shows that the minister had attempted to expedite the payment to Executors General Trading, and ACC concluded that there is proof that the health minister had misused his official position.

Ameen stepped aside from duties as authorities launched the probe into the corruption allegations against him, in August.