Opposition Leader accuses Infrastructure Minister of giving road contract to his private company

Opposition Leader, Mathew Wale claimed that Deputy Prime Minister, Manasseh Maelanga who is also the Infrastructure Minister had secured a road contract for his private company, Eastern Esteem Construction. Wale said there is information that suggests between $15M to $20M was paid out of public funds since 2019. Wale said the alleged abuse in office by the Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister not only raises serious ethical concerns but also undermines the public’s trust in the integrity of the DCGA Government in delivering on its promises to its grass-root people. Wale said the opposition office over the past months closely monitored the developments surrounding the repair and maintenance works on the East Malaita road.  He said it has come to their attention that since approval was granted for the road improvement works, it is still in a serious state of disrepair posing serious risks to the road users. Documents disclosed by the Opposition Office revealed that the Ministerial Tender Board has endorsed SBD$4,080,990.00 to the contractor (Eastern Esteem) in November last year. The Opposition Office office said just a few weeks ago the same contractor allegedly made another claim of around $3M for another road maintenance in East Malaita. Eastern Esteem was approved to carry out emergency maintenance work on the East Malaita unsealed roads over six months. The contract was awarded in November 2022. But records in Company Haus showed no companies registered as Eastern Esteem. Only two registration with the same Business Name Eastern Esterm has Maelanga’s name tired to its ownership. One registration on Eastern Esterm was in 2016 and deregistered in 2019 while the other was registered in 2020 and de-registered on the 2nd of May this year, 2023. Mr.  Maelanga ceased to be an owner of the company just one day after the registration of the Business Name in October 2020. Conflict of interest was noted down as the reason for his removal as owner. Tavuli News was not able to get Mr. Maelanga to respond to the allegations against him. Opposition leader, Mathew Wale is also out of the country and could not be reached for further comments.

Wale however through his statement had called for an immediate and thorough investigation into the allegations made against Maelanga and his affiliation in the construction company and the public funds spent to the company for road construction work. “I urge the relevant authorities, including anti-corruption agencies and oversight bodies, to conduct an impartial enquiry to determine the veracity of these claims,” he said. Wale said no one is above the law and any allegation implicating senior ministers must not be brushed under the carpet. “The people of our nation deserve elected officials who prioritise the public interest and act in a manner consistent with the principles of good governance and it is only fitting that the allegations be cleared under appropriate laws,” Wale said.