The Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) is taking no efforts to sack the chief executive officer (CEO) of Solomon Islands Ports Authority (SIPA) Colin Yow.
Permanent Secretary Henry Murray clarified this following claims his ministry will dismiss the Singaporean national for driving SIPA to engage in business activities outside its purview.
He has also driven SIPA into a hard-hitting reform exercise that saw a number of staff losing their jobs.
The Minister for Infrastructure Development, Jimmy Lusibaea, recently wrote to Yow, telling him the importation of rice was outside SIPA’s mandate.
Reliable sources have told the Sunday Star Lusibaea is likely to take action on Yow for defying instructions for SIPA not to engage in activities outside its purview.
However, Murray said the letter served on Yow was made at an appropriate time, in the absence of a legitimate board and based on legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General.
“That stand by the minister remains, with no legitimate board formally appointed yet,” he said.
Murray said procedures for any such dismissal must have to be made with consideration and advice from SIPA Board to the responsible Minister and the Minister of Finance.
He said this is a pending issue which a new board could deliberate on and if the importation and sale of rice is illegal then the reforms by the Ports Authority CEO could be reviewed.
“At the moment there is no board formed yet, although there have been formal appointments which have yet to be gazetted,”he said.
Reliable sources said the appointments are expected to be gazetted by the end of this month.
By BRADFORD THEONOMI
