THE Public Service Disciplinary Tribunal has ruled that former permanent secretary for the Fisheries and Forestry Ministry, Atilaite Rokosuka, breached procurement laws and civil service regulations, despite acting with what it described as “good intent”.
The ruling, issued on September 19, found that Ms Rokosuka entered into an agreement worth $150million with an external party in November 2023 to supply power without following proper procurement procedures.
“The tribunal finds that Ms Rokosuka acted in pursuit of a legitimate aim,” the ruling stated.
“However, her altruistic goals do not justify the approach she took in this case.”
The tribunal noted that Ms Rokosuka’s actions demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding, or disregard, of procurement regulations.
It found she wrongly assumed that the agreement was not subject to procurement rules, and even if it was, that it fell within her delegated authority.
“She proceeded to sign the agreement without consulting other senior stakeholders and thus found herself caught in a procurement exercise which bypassed all the established protocols,” the tribunal said.
“She breached her duty to comply with all relevant laws.”
The ruling criticised her for failing to heed advice from the Solicitor-General and for not engaging her internal team before finalising the contract.
“Her actions were not a result of mere inadvertence; they were the result of a view which she had settled upon, based on an incorrect or incomplete understanding of the procurement protocols.”
While the Tribunal acknowledged she did not stand to gain personally but ruled it wants to hear submissions from the Public Service Commission and Ms Rokosuka before making a final decision.
