Some employees at the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) under the Ministry of Tourism are expected to be charged alongside a former minister of the same ministry for allegedly lying about receiving two helicopters from what turned out to be a shell company.
According to a copy of a Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) docket, the company was registered specifically for the transaction and deregistered thereafter. It states that a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance was, at the time, coerced into paying the shady supplier over a weekend, with the payment being processed through an Escrow Agent Company without following procurement processes.
The copy states that the two helicopters, which the ministry claimed to have received, were never delivered. One of the helicopters later resurfaced in the Middle East, registered under a different owner.
The DCEC says that during the course of its investigation into an offence of corruption transactions by an agent, contrary to Section 28(3) of the Corruption and Economic Crime Act (CECA), relating to the procurement of two undelivered Agusta Westland A109 K2 helicopters, another offence of abuse of public office under Section 24A(1), as read with Section 23(a) of the CECA, was disclosed, leading to the widening of the investigation. The copy says what was gleaned during the investigations from the disclosed offence was that there were legitimate transactions from procurement to delivery.
According to the copy of the docket, on September 7, 2017, the supplier invoiced DWNP and on the same day, an Aviation Coordinator at DWNP, whose name is known to this publication, confirmed delivery, receipt and acceptance of the two Agusta Westland A109 K2 helicopters, with serial numbers 10024 and 10030, by signing the supplier’s invoice.
The DCEC says its investigations revealed that a month later, on October 26, 2017, the director of DWNP wrote a savingram to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, referenced WPC/STO 5/8 IX (45), alleging that the supplier had sold the two Agusta Westland A109 K2 helicopters to a third party.
On September 19, 2017, a Goods Received Note (GRN) in respect of the A109 K2 helicopters was prepared and signed by an officer, whose name is also known to this publication, at the DWNP procurement office. The docket says that on September 21, 2017, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism submitted the above-stated documents for payment. On the same date, the DWNP Accounts Department received the submission for final payment.
“On the 25th September 2017 the supplier, through Escrow Agent Company was fully paid with cheque number 159880 with government receipt number 9930 to supply and delivery of two (2) Agusta Westland A 109 K2 Helicopters serial number: 10024 and 10030,” the copy says.
The DCEC says its investigations revealed that a month later, on October 26, 2017, the director of DWNP wrote a savingram to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, referenced WPC/STO 5/8 IX (45), alleging that the supplier had sold the two Agusta Westland A109 K2 helicopters to a third party.
The director further indicated that the supplier was willing to substitute the helicopters with one new aircraft of a different class for the price of the previous two Agusta A109 K2 helicopters.
The investigations further revealed that DWNP claimed to have received the aircraft, as shown by invoice number 2017/01 from the supplier, the Goods Received Note and payment to the supplier.
However, DWNP subsequently claimed that the supplier had sold the helicopters to a third party.
“How come the DWNP says the supplier had sold the two (2) Helicopters when there are documents in their possession to show that DWNP did pay for the 2 air assets, received and accepted them?” the copy says.
The copy of the docket says it is not clear how the company in the Middle East managed to be in possession of the helicopters paid for by DWNP from Candy Logistic Southern Star LTD.
