And while Dr. Manza deals with the fallout from that letter, his Minister had to deal with a head on interview from KREM New Director Marisol Amaya.
She was our correspondent out west during yesterday's Municipal elections and in a stand-out moment verbally accosted Minister of Health Michel Chebat over the fate of the Dr. who guided the nation through the initial onset of the pandemic.
It got so serious that the Minister cried out not once but twice for her to quote: "Gimmie a break."
But that didn't stop Amaya, thorough as always from taking him to the journalistic mat over the fate of Dr. Manza.
Reporter
"Minister unfortunately the news does not stop, we've received information that Dr. Manzanero has gotten a letter from the CEO accusing him now of more egregious conduct added things to that BAHA accusation and that he must refund following the public service regulation guidelines now but that has not been followed before."
Hon. Michel Chebat - Minister of Health and Wellness
"Those have always been the case, everything that has happened in relation to Dr. Manzanero has guided by the ministry of the public service and the attorney general, so this has all been following the regulation."
Reporter
"But has the timeline to ask him to respond to misconduct when you're talking about the BAHA allegations, that has expired, that was from April."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"That has not expired that is a misconception. I know that certain persons in the media have been saying that you only have 2 weeks from the time it has happened but that regulation was amended and now there is no timeframe."
Reporter
"When was that amended?"
Hon. Michel Chebat
"2015."
Reporter
"And in respect of going through the process of the public service commission, you are saying that is being followed now."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"That has always been followed, the notices that have been given to him are in accordance to public service regulations right and so I am content that what we're doing is legal."
Reporter
"What about the allegation that once someone is there, he hasn't been accused or found guilty yet of anything and he hasn't been demoted so he still holds that position but you're finding someone to act in that post. The allegation is that..."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"But there is nobody acting in the post. There was up until the time he returned but what has happened is we have people carrying on the duties of the DHS."
Reporter
"But minister you intended to put someone there before anyway, it just to happens that he caught COVID on the very day she was reporting to act as DHS."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"You have that wrong."
Reporter
"That has been reported in that 2 page email that took a very long time to reach. Has everything spiralled out of control?"
Hon. Michel Chebat
"You have it very wrong and I don't intend to rehash it again today Marisol because we've been through this many times but even before Dr. Manzanero got ill and left in December, he and I spoke"
Reporter
"But there is nothing in the regulation that states that he must accept, transfer, whatever is going to happen to him, it cannot be arbitrarily done, there must be discussions, the labour law."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"But there is nothing arbitrarily about it, this is what I'm telling you, he and I have sat and he and I have spoken and he knew from the very beginning what his options were and so this sentiment out there that he's being hammered and he's not being given a chance and he's being sacrificed is absolutely not true."
Reporter
"I think there has been denial that he was fully aware and they sat with him."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"He can deny it to you but he cannot deny it with me."
Reporter
"This will end up in court."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"If it needs to end up in court, it needs to end up in court Marisol but I want to say this very clearly at the Ministry of Health, we retain the discretion to move people to the positions we believe they will be most effective and that goes from the CEO down to the last person."
Reporter
"And what happens now that he has been sent this letter.."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"He has 10 days to respond and then that will take it's process."
Reporter
"He won't stay at work in that time?"
Hon. Michel Chebat
"He's at work"
Reporter
"So, he'll stay there?"
Hon. Michel Chebat
"He's been there."
Reporter
"With the pool of secretaries."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"He's been there, he has not been with the pool of secretaries, he is sitting in an office there and that again, I don't know where these stories come from, I don't know if he is creating these stories."
Reporter
"We need to go into the ministry of health minister."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"Listen, I can't understand how you all are so hung up on this issue when there's so many..."
Reporter
"We're being criticized by other members of the media."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"That's crazy. I mean unno love ah so much, unno hire him and give him a job, story done."
Reporter
"Minister do you expect that this situation will have an impact on this election?"
Hon. Michel Chebat
"Absolutely not, that's a joke Marisol."
Reporter
"There was a thought that one point that people from Succotz were planning to come out in protest of that situation."
Hon. Michel Chebat
"Well I haven't seen any."
