A former senior procurement officer testified yesterday that a waiver of tender CTN 66/2011 failed to meet regulatory requirements, as the High Court trial of three former top officials continues.
Maire Wise, formerly of the Fiji Procurement Office (FPO), told Justice Usaia Ratuvili in the High Court in Suva yesterday that she was instructed by her director to submit a memo in response to the Ministry of Health’s intention to obtain a waiver from the Minister of Finance.
The memo she prepared was forwarded to officials at the Ministry of Finance, including the finance minister at the time, Voreqe Bainimarama.
Ms Wise’s analysis was that the request for a waiver for CTN 66/2011 did not satisfy the regulation requirements, and given there was no ground to justify a waiver, she provided three recommendations that were legally available under the Procurement Regulations.
The recommendations were that the MoH with draw the tender, that they re-tender specifically fora sole supplier, and that the ministry re-examine its terms of reference. She was not aware that despite these recommendations, former health minister Dr Neil Sharma had written directly to Mr Bainimarama requesting a waiver.
The State is alleging that Mr Bainimarama abused his position by unjustifiably granting a waiver for CTN 66/2011.
The trial continues today.
