Rashid Imrith : “MedPoint is an opportunity to improve the Civil Service”

vendredi 25 mai 2012

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Rashid Imrith : “MedPoint is an opportunity to improve the Civil Service”

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Touria Prayag | 22/04/2011

Mr Imrith, you recently submitted some papers to the ICAC. What was your aim?

I was not comfortable with the way the ICAC was laying emphasis on procedures. For me, while procedures are important, the source of the finances is important too. Where did they get the money to buy MedPoint? Most importantly, was there a policy decision, and who took this policy decision? Were things done by the book?

How did things happen according to you?

According to the information I have, abinet decided to disburse Rs 75 million from the Lottery Fund and Rs 25 million from the capital fund of the Ministry of Health.

So 100 million rupees?

Yes.

But how did they know it was going to cost Rs 100 million?

Exactly! By coincidence, we see the first evaluation of MedPoint that was carried out by the number two of the Valuation Office. The clinic was estimated to be worth Rs 75 million. And this matches the Rs 75 million which Cabinet made provisions for.

Was that before or after the tender?

I don’t know but the figures match.

It is important to know whether it was before the tender or not.

We don’t have that information. This is why we are asking the ICAC to look in that direction. We are asking if the Ministry of Finance gave instructions to the Ministry of Health to use Rs 200 million from the capital fund of the Ministry of Health to buy the MedPoint clinic. We are concerned with the results of the investigation.

Why are you more concerned than the rest of us?

The ICAC carries out the investigation and we want to use the results and the problems being raised as part of the MedPoint issue as an opportunity to bring in improvements to the Civil Service by checking if the files are kept and the “garde fous” in the public sector are sufficient to make sure that public funds are being used properly.

Interviewed by Touria Prayag

Read the full interview on the e-paper.

Commentaires

Par:-christian

forensic and baadshah are one and only. may be lawyer! honesty! when one boasts himself as know all then honesty is secondary. am i wrong? who is the good lawyer , he will be honest!

Par:-Edd

A Good lawyer is best defined by honesty!!

Par:-Forensic

It appears that Baadshah knows his laws very well. Hence he should get Imrith as a potential client. or he should join forces with all other 'zavocats' to challenge Sec7 (1) in court in all icac cases. How one defines ' a good lawyer'? So all those who are losing their cases are bad lawyers? This is mauritius- le peuple admirable. Shame!Shame.

Par:-Mahmoud

True Icac ti pe fer dimune peur dan Le passé! Interoge dimune 3 heures dimatin! Traumatise bane accuse ek temoin!!Appel sa fer dominere r dimune! Après zot ti konne coz bel bel cozer! Rezilta ti zero! Cinema ki ti grand! Au moins Astere inper dimune mo croire ene centaine fine condamne! C'est deja ene progres!!important c'est pas fer dimune peur mais competence dans Travay la!! Eco fine dissoude par mmm après zot coz bel cozer zot oussi!! Selman mo croire Leco la oussi pa ti achieve grand soz!! Minis ti bizin demissioner mais zamais fine condaner par la cour!mo pa Conner si la oussi ene question competence ou bien ena problems dan la loi!! La population pe attane ki pu arriver dan zafer medpoint!!de toute facon population in fini truv zot coupable! Al debrouille zot la loi si pa ena pe dire interpretation ou non! Soi ou honete ou non!! Ene zour ou lot ban sa ki coquin ek fer corruption pu bizin payer! Ek au lieu la press politicien critique a tort a travers ti pu bon zote donne ene coup de main sanze mentalite dimune!

Par:-sagasega

fred's comments is to the point. baadshah may not know. he surely must know a good lawyer. icac used to arrest people for cases which happened befpre the law became law. we all remember the arrest of minister choony.if icac is still making mistakes as it did during 2002 and2003 then it will pay damages and this from public money. in 2003 there was mr badain and many people was afraid when there was inquiry. today people r not afraid and icac seems to be the pupet and the string in other people's hand. manrakan eco made also people fear. people do not fear icac. many cases has been won say icac boss but no minister yet. are all the politicians who are corrupt in a position to force haut fonctionnaire de faire le sale boulot. when mmm was in government the ministers were clean. they must all show how much money they had before they became ministers and how much now they have including properties, shares, cars etc. the pas and ps must similarly show these. i think the evaluation department did the job.

Par:-bandhe matram

you are right mr imrith but who will do it.

Par:-Fred

Baadshah to Porte to nom! to pe discute Dan vide! La cour ine fini tranche lor la! Ena ene missie bhadhain ti prend sa point la cour ek line perdi mo kroire!Zot Penser kapave ene lot avocat pu capave gagne sa point la!!

Par:-PLOUM PLOUM- IT TAKES 2 TO TANGO

@Baadshah: my reading of the relevant section on unlawful actions relating to gratifications, actually cover both situations. That is, the Public Official and the member of the public as well. I have seen on the internet, cases from ICAC where a person bribed a Customs officer at SSR airport with a 50 Euro note to avoid paying duty on a laptop he was bringing in the country. He was accordingly charged And the Customer officer was also charged for receiving the 50 Euro. indeed the law cut both ways. I suspect if ICAC is fully independent , we shall see one or two politicians being charged as well. Or may be I am a dreamer!

Par:-Baadshah

The first thing to do, Mt Imrith is to challenge the interpretation of section 7(1) of the POCA-Public official using office for gratification (for another person). It is clear that the ICAC is making a wrong interpretation and an abuse of this legislation. Thus the law does not provide for any penalty for the person who receives the gratification but provides for imprisonment of the public official who has not received any money or advantage, but has simply taken/implemented a decision. This interpretation by ICAC is ridiculous and it was certainly not the intention of the legislator when drafting this part of the POCA. Any public official-especially those implementing decisions can therefore be charged under this section and this is at present being utilised by those in power as a means to harasss certain officials who dare to day NO to politicians(ref to cases lodged by ICAC). This is very alarming for all public servants and I would advise you(and your membres) to look for a good lawyer and challenge the interpretation of the ICAC before the Superme Court.

Par:-Jimmy

Rashid Imrith aparte raconte des histoires li ti pou mieux ki ou vinne dire ici combien de temps bannes fonctionnaires prend pou 'travaille dossier', combien l'annees zot prend pou implimente approuve projets dispensaires et centre de jeunesse kan in fini approuver par conseils des ministres. In l'heure pou ki donne kout fouette et arrette vinne gueler ki supposement ene l'occasion pou change la fonction publique. C'est pas sa ki la population attane des fonctionnaires mais the finished product, seki laisse a desirer parce ki pou tout ti couyonnade zot cachiete derriere syndicalistes, koument dire ki zot la paye faire par ces derniers.