Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary has passed the decision to recommend the Prosecutor General (PG) to review the charges related to the procurement of ventilators through a Dubai-based company.
The Judiciary Committee prepared a report on the case after the PG Office decided to reject the charges forwarded by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in relation to the financial irregularities in contracting Dubai-based Executors General Trading to procure 75 ventilators to the Maldives. ACC forwarded charges against 11 officials of the Ministry of Health in relation to the case. However, the PG Office stated the ACC investigation was not adequate to prove any of the charges.
The report prepared by the Judiciary Committee included three recommendations regarding the case. As such, the first recommendation is for the PG Office to seek further information regarding the case from the relevant investigative authorities, Maldives Police Service (MPS) and ACC. The second recommendation is for the PG Office to review its decision on the charges pressed by ACC. The third recommendation is for the PG Office to inform the decision taken by the PG Office upon review to the Judiciary Committee.
The committee report was passed unanimously by all members present at the committee meeting. The report is expected to be passed by the parliament floor this week.
Irregularities in awarding contracts for ventilator procurement were first identified in the COVID-19 compliance audit conducted on the health ministry by the Auditor General’s Office. The audit report revealed Executors General Trading was paid 90% of the quoted price in advance to procure 75 ventilators in April, whilst no ventilators were procured despite several months having passed since signing the contract. The audit report also revealed the company was selected without assessing its financial and technical capabilities, in addition to not obtaining advance payment and performance guarantees.