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Abuse of authority…Health Minister does not want to influence Food and Drugs Dept.
Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, has denied instructing Director of the Food and Drug (F&D) Department, Marlon Cole, to release all of the consignments belonging to Sueria Manufacturing Incorporated.
In a statement from his office, Norton made it clear that the department is a regulatory one and he will not attempt to interfere with its work.
“Minister Norton has acknowledged that in all fairness to Mr. Cole’s actions, the F&D is a regulatory body and he would not want to be involved in influencing the body in any way.
Minister Norton has insisted that he will not undermine the F&D in its operations. While it is his desire to resolve the situation amicably, he stated that the court remains an avenue which the disgruntled party can use to seek redress.”
The issue has been simmering for over a year now, with Sueria Manufacturing and a number of importers accusing Cole of abusing his authority and unfairly holding up their shipments of drinks and other products.
They accused Cole of “demanding all sorts of import documents and singling out importers”.
They said even when they complied, they were told to bring additional documents.
Other large importers were not subjected to the same scrutiny, it was alleged.
Sueria’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Frank Sanichara, had joined other importers recently to picket the Ministry of the Presidency and the Ministry of Public Health over the delays.
Government had ordered an investigation and Norton had separately met with Cole and Sanichara for a possible solution.
However, Sanichara had complained that he was continuously being targeted with the department even refusing to grant him permission to import food for his children.
A number of confidential import documents that were given to F&D by Sueria Manufacturing had also been leaked to the media.
Minister Norton, in his statement, yesterday denied a Stabroek News report on Monday, headlined “Norton instructs Food and Drug Director to release Sueria consignments.”
“The article states that Minister Norton had also instructed the Food and Drug Director to “first seek clearance from him before any decision to seize or withhold any imports.”
Norton explained that following allegations by the manufacturing company about victimization meted out to them by Cole, he (Minister Norton) along with Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings and other senior Public Health Officials met with the Director on Monday, November 28, 2016.
The Public Health Minister then met with officials of Sueria Manufacturing on Thursday, December 1, 2016 to discuss the matter.
“Consequent to these meetings, it was the intention of Dr. Norton to communicate two courses of action to Mr. Cole, but the correspondence to that effect was never sent.”
The courses of action included the establishment of a Drug Advisory Committee and a Food Advisory Committee in accordance with the laws.
Sanichara, who has returned home from the US to invest, had complained to President David Granger and several ministers of the “abuses” by the department. It was those complaints that sparked the investigations.
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