State to probe ‘abuse’

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE Government will investigate some civil servants who are now back at work in their old job after unsuccessfully contesting the last year’s general election, saying it is an abuse of process.
Parliament was informed on Friday by Kagua-Erave MP Wesley Raminai, the vice-minister for Sports, National Events and Apec, that some public servants had returned to their offices although they had resigned to contest the elections as required by law.
Public Service Minister Elias Kapavore said those who lost the election needed to reapply for their positions.
“These public servants should not be re-employed to their former positions after losing the election,” Kavapore said.
“They are supposed to apply for their former positions after the positions have been advertised.”
Kapavore said some public servants had applied for leave to contest the election, instead of resigning as was the requirement.
“We have public servants who have lost the election and are back in positions that they had occupied before they left,” he said.
“My department has a list of public servants who resigned to contest the election.
“But many did not follow procedures to resign. We have a list of these people.”
Kapavore said the public service department would be dealing with the heads of departments and provincial administrations who re-employed those people.
“It is an abuse of process,” Kapavore said.
He said the procedure was to advertise the vacancies left by those who resigned to contest the general election last year.
Those who had resigned but lost at the polls could reapply for their positions.
“It does not warrant immediate appointment (to fill the vanacies),” Kapavore said.
“The position has to be advertised and one has to apply for it to regain entry into the public services.”
He said cases where the former public servant had “reentered the public service” would be looked into.
He urged MPs and those with information on those people to provide details to the department of public service.
“Please send a list to my department so that we can check and solve this mess,” he said.
“There is a lot of abuse in regards to powers for provincial administrators who are not doing it right.”
He said it was against the law for them to be in office.