The suspension placed on State Minister of Health, Shah Mahir has been lifted.
Shah was suspended on August 17 amid a corruption probe regarding the procurement of ventilators by the Health Ministry. A compliance audit report on the ministry’s COVID-19 related expenses showed the ministry tasked the purchase of ventilators to a Dubai company in violation of the due procedures. All involved in the bid process were suspended after the report was publicized.
Shah had said he was not involved in the ventilator bid and that documentation at the ministry would reflect the same. When the bid was awarded to the foreign company, he brought issues around the bid to the attention of senior health officials. While the first 10 ventilators purchased by the company were not the product the ministry tasked the company to purchase, Shah raised the issue with the Health Minister as well as other top officials of the government, he had said.
Spokesperson for the President’s Office, Ibrahim Hood Thursday said Shah has been informed that the suspension placed on him has been lifted. He will return to work next Sunday and has been instructed to resume fulfilling his responsibilities, said Hood. The suspension was lifted after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) found no grounds to seek charges against him.
