Charges Recommended Against Four Addu Equatorial Hospital Employees Over Overpriced Lab Consumables

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has recommended charges against four employees of Addu Equatorial Hospital (AEH) for procuring laboratory consumables at prices higher than market rates, resulting in significant financial losses to the state. The ACC has forwarded the names of Mohamed Saeein Ahmed, who was in charge of the hospital's procurement department, Azeez Latheef, chairperson of the bid committee, and two members of the bid committee, Abdulla Wahid and Dr. Fatima Amani Naseer, to the Office of the Prosecutor General for prosecution. According to a statement released by the ACC, the matter came to light in connection with an announcement by the hospital to procure laboratory consumables needed for four months for Addu Equatorial Hospital and health centers run under it. Audit reports for 2022, 2023, and 2024 noted that items and services were procured at high prices without regard to market prices. Specifically, when an announcement was made to procure 40,000 micro pipette tips, offers were submitted by only one party. The ACC said investigations revealed that these items were procured contrary to public finance rules without checking whether the offered price was reasonable. The ACC has requested that formal charges of abuse of official position be filed against the four employees, and they have also been forwarded for charges of misconduct in matters where the state could have benefited. Additionally, the ACC has decided to calculate the amount of loss incurred, examine the administrative cases of the employees involved, determine amounts to be recovered, and order the recovery of that money from the state.