The extent of the rot revealed by this Maraga report must make heads roll. The part on medical scheme for police is a clear smoking gun that must see people arrested and prosecuted.
There is no way we can allow coverage of 5,000 ghost police officers and non-existent medical facilities listed in the insurance panel, meaning that people can forge claims and originate them from the non-operational facilities and be actually paid.
As human rights practitioners, we demand that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Ipoa and the Internal Affairs Unit swing into action and investigate the cesspool that is this insurance deal.
The fact that the team responsible seemed to work hard to cover their tracks and conceal evidence by omitting some pages from the task force is enough smoking gun that there is a lot to be desired.
We should be told how the deal was negotiated, how the underwriters were picked, and who were members of this team that hammered this deal, among other relevant details. Discussion on effectiveness of the cover is reserved for another day.
It is a shame that while we are purporting to want to export our officers to the gangland that is Haiti, we are messing up their health and life insurance as well as that of their families.
The fact that they increased the number of those covered means that the quality of service available to the real deserving ones is reduced.
It is sad that top connected people are content exposing our hardworking officers and their families to danger and compromising their cover. This is corruption on a massive scale that calls for robust investigation, prosecution and jailing.
Even critically, I urge police officers not to sit pretty as their lives, welfare, health and safety are compromised by well-connected wealthy people who are growing even richer using their sweat.
I understand they may tell you to follow some code as a member of a disciplined security service, but you owe it to your country and your own family, if not your life, to speak up and complain about this corrupt and maladministration of your health insurance.
Human rights defender spoke to the Star
