A senior official with 15 years employment at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), is now being investigated for misconduct and misleading Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales.
The investigation centers arounds the water scheduling in Paramin and Minister Gonzales being deceived by said official.
WASA, in a letter to the official, said “The Industrial relations department is in receipt of (an) investigative report dated December 23, 2020. The initial findings highlight unprofessional, inaccuracies and misrepresentation by yourself as it is alleged that you erroneously advised the Honourable Minister of Public Utilities that the area was in receipt of a pipe-borne water supply thereby acting contrary to the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.”
Frustrated Paramin residents had reached out to Gonzales to complain they had not received a water supply in weeks and pleaded for his intervention.
However, Gonzales said that after inquiring, he was told that WASA needed to sort out some technical issues, but that the water supply would be restored.
He later got a report that the entire community was receiving a pipe-borne supply, but this was not the case as the residents then reported that their taps were still dry since November.
A GML report said that following a meeting with affected residents, the senior official and a WASA management team, Gonzales concluded that he was deliberately misled and provided with erroneous information by the senior official.
Raffie David, Head Wastewater Projects, has been appointed to investigate and report on the allegations.
Reports are that this is the second probe to take place by WASA against the senior official in a matter of weeks.
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