A former procurement officer with the Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services has rejected claims that former health minister Dr Neil Sharma had valid grounds to distrust the Tender Evaluation Committee in relation to Tender 66/2011.
Solomoni Suguta denied the suggestion during cross-examination by defence lawyer Wylie Clarke in the High Court before Justice Usaia Ratuvili.
Mr Suguta acknowledged that the Fiji Procurement Office was not aware of a March 2011 evaluation committee that assessed laboratory equipment for rural health centres. However, he maintained the committee’s decisions were based on established evaluation criteria.
Mr Clarke challenged the process, suggesting the committee failed to recommend the most cost-effective bids and may have improperly disqualified lower-priced options. The court heard that while the recommended supplier’s haematology analysers cost about $201,000, a competing bid from Hospineer was approximately $194,000, including insurance.
Mr Suguta said Hospineer was disqualified due to concerns over reagent costs and equipment display range. He rejected claims that the disqualification lacked basis or indicated favouritism.
The State alleges Dr Sharma deliberately failed to comply with statutory tender requirements and acted to undermine the process in favour of Hospineer.
Former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum are also accused of abusing their offices by granting a waiver without lawful justification.
The trial continues.
