People's Majlis to seek charges against ex-health minister reg. ventilator issue

The People’s Majlis has voted to seek charges against former Health Minister Abdulla Ameen.

Accusations of misconduct against Ameen surfaced after irregularities were identified in an audit report on the government’s Covid-19 related-spending, back in October. While a no-confidence motion against Ameen was submitted to parliament, he resigned not long after.

While the matter was reviewed by the parliament’s committee on member’s privileges and ethics, it proposed to seek charges against the former minister at the Prosecutor General’s Office. 57 lawmakers voted in favour, at Sunday's sitting.

Ameen is accused of corruption in procuring 75 ventilators from Dubai-based Executors General Trading.

While the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had sought charges against 11 health ministry officials over the ventilator issues, the PG office in October decided against pressing charges citing lack of evidence.

The ACC investigation shows that Health Minister Ameen had introduced Executors General Trading, as a potential company to procure ventilators from, to the ministry's Bid Committee.

He is to have provided a contact of the company to the health ministry’s Finance Executive Director Ahmed Aslam, with the indication that the company was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)'s country office. The committee awarded the project to the company without any further analysis, considering they were made to understand it was endorsed by WHO.

The audit into the procurement of ventilators revealed that WHO had not made any such endorsements, showing the former minister’s misuse of official position.

The investigation also shows that the minister had attempted to expedite the payment to Executors General Trading.

The audit also uncovered that the ventilators 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.

The parliament’s committee on member’s privileges and ethics’ report notes that Ameen had given the same response in relation to the ventilator issue, both in writing and during a committee meeting, after being questioned on the matter by South-Mahchangoalhi constituency MP Ahmed Haitham.

Noting that the written response was sent on April 28 while he was questioned at a committee meeting in person on October 20, the report highlights that the information provided by him to the Auditor General’s Office in relation to the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 related expenditure audit “show inconsistencies”.

The committee report said that the former minister had informed them that the ventilator procurement work was awarded to the Dubai-based company following official dealings with WHO. As such, he is to have provided a copy of an e-mail to prove this, the committee said that they were unable to confirm whether the correspondence was with an individual with any links to the ministry.

Further noting that Ameen was given additional time to submit more documents to prove his innocence, the committee said that he had failed to do so.

The committee on member's privileges and ethics' based its decisions on the compliance audit report, rather than seeking an official comment from the WHO's country office.