Food and Drugs scandal…Importer accuses Govt. official of leaking confidential documents
A local businessman who is claiming discrimination by a senior Government official is calling for the administration to immediately suspend him.
Over the weekend, confidential import documents that were sent to Marlan Cole, Director of the Government Food and Drugs Department, have made their way into the hands of a few private media outlets.
“This is getting unbelievable now. It is totally unacceptable. What more evidence does the administration need that Cole has abused his office in the worst way possible by releasing confidential documents that his department has asked for?” an angry Frank Sanichara said last evening. Sanichara is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sueria Manufacturing Inc., a company that has been battling the government department for over a year now on what that company says is a clear case of discrimination.
Foods and Drugs play a critical role in ensuring local importers comply with safety regulations when shipping containers and food related items here.
According to Sanichara, on Friday, he sent documents, including some from his Malaysian supplier, to Cole.
“These confidential documents were sent only to him (Cole). He cannot say that it was leaked by anyone else. It is posted on a news website and I saw it for myself and have taken the screenshots of it to prove the documents were posted up. This is not how a Government department that is charged with an important mandate should operate. I am calling on the Health Minister to take immediate action. My competitors now have an opportunity to see with whom I do business.”
Food and Drug Director, Marlan Cole
Businessman,
Frank Sanichara
Health Minister,
Dr. George Norton
According to the businessman, the publication of the private documents sends a very worrying signal to investors and business people in Guyana.
“It also poses a serious threat to privacy of information. No company would want their competition to see their private information,” a worried Sanichara said.
The leaking of the confidential import documents would bring to mind a similar incident a few years ago in which former head of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Khurshid Sattaur, was accused of leaking tax information of Kaieteur News to senior officials of the previous government.
The global accounting body had launched an investigation to determine whether Sattaur had breached ethics.
In the case of the leaking of Sueria’s customs and other confidential importation documents, the Food and Drugs Department was supposed to ensure that they remain confidential.
Last week, following protests in front of the Ministry of the Presidency and the Ministry of Public Health by Sueria and other importers claiming abuse of office and discrimination by the director, Government immediately asked Cole to explain.
An investigation was ordered by the Ministry of the Presidency.
Health Minister, Dr. George Norton, immediately distanced himself from the discrimination and abuse claims by the importers, saying that his administration does not condone such behavior.
Sanichara said that after it became clear that a probe was underway, the Food and Drugs Department then disclosed that a number of his documents relating to a shipment of energy drinks had gone missing.
“So it is clear now from my many delayed containers and that of other importers that we are being singled out. There is a pattern. My documents went missing last week after we launched a picketing exercise asking for us to be treated fairly as business persons. All we want is a level playing field,” Sanichara said last evening.
The case has drawn in the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) which said over the weekend that the department is trying to ensure food and drinks are safe to enter Guyana.
It so happens some of GMSA’s members are competitors to the importers who protested last week.
The businessman also claimed over the weekend that Food and Drugs Department is even refusing to acknowledge applications made. “The department is also refusing to stamp or acknowledge that they have taken our documents, including Customs entries. We therefore have no proof that the department is processing our applications. I am not sure what is happening here but every Government entity has procedures of acknowledging when you hand in documents or a correspondence.”
Cole was sent home earlier this year over an alleged incident but later turned back out on the job.
Sueria has the distribution rights to several popular products, including Shakura Energy Drinks. The shipments that have been held up by Food and Drugs are several consignments of products including Shakura Energy Drink.
In the case of Sueria, Sanichara is a businessman who returned home to invest and has plugged hundreds of millions of dollars in manufacturing of sweets and importation of juices.
The juice importation business is a highly competitive one with a number of large companies involved.
GMSA over weekend said it preferred the conflicts to be handled in court.
However, Sanichara said that it is impossible to go to court on every shipment of his juices and international products held up by Food and Drugs.
Sanichara said on Saturday that GMSA should have investigated first before making statements.
“We bring containers ever so often. Is GMSA saying we should go to court on each container?
I am available to provide the evidence of the discrimination. It is a fact that the court cases take a while. What do we do in the meantime? We have staffers, we have expenses. We are losing business.”
Sanichara said last week that his company lost over $30M and was forced to send home staffers because of the delays and disruptions caused by Cole and his department.
“I would like to ask GMSA how they would feel if their products are exported and the destination countries treat them in such a manner.”
Minister Norton said last week that he is set to meet tomorrow with the Foods and Drugs director and the businessman to deal with the matter.
