ACC accuses STO of corrupt practices in hiring foreign employment

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has accused the State Trading Organization Plc (STO) of corrupt practices in hiring employment agencies to find foreign employees for the company.

A statement released by the ACC today stated that the Commission had come to its conclusion following an investigation that was initiated after receiving a complaint that in August 2012, the company had unjustly evaluated the bids of the companies that had answered a call for parties willing to provide employment agency services.

ACC said that they noticed that certain processes in evaluating the bids were handled against the company’s procurement policies and in ways that facilitated the attainment of undue advantage through use of influence from position.

The commission also stated that they have now forwarded a case to the Prosecutor General asking that the members of the STO Tender Committee be prosecuted under Article 12 (a) of the Prevention and Prohibition of Corruption Act, for the offence of obtaining undue advantage by use position or influence from their positions.

The five people accused are; Aishath Shaffana Rasheed of G. Ras Huvandhu, Male’, Abdulla Jaavid of M. Salva, Male’, Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed of Ma. Nooreege, Male’, Ahmed Shaheer of M. Laal Baagh, Male’, Abdulla Shafeeu Mahmood of M. Poppy, Male’.

The statement by the ACC stated that instead of referring to the original bids for evaluation, the committee had referred to an evaluation sheet drawn up by the procurement department, and that the scores on the sheet for experience had been allocated against set regulations.

The commission also noted discrepancies in allocating scores for experience, and said that scores for references were allocated in a matter that would confer undue advantage to a certain party.

Anti-Corruption Commission stated that a different company would have been commissioned if STO had acted according to the manner they had announced their scoring would be conducted.