And what about the CEO, Valentino Shal, who was also named in the messages as a kickback recipient? He also rejects the allegations but told us that they believe they know who has been spreading them.
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation
"I am not going to reply to anything that is speculation or any allegation. So I have no response to provide to anything of that sort."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you believe that whoever was sending these messages, that they were just trying to cause mischief?"
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation
"It's absolute rubbish. It is intended to tarnish the hard work of the ministry, the work that we do. And, we have an idea of where it's coming from and why it is happening, but that that is not the reason for why we are here. And of course, that is not going to distract us from what we need to do. There's a lot of work to be done, and that's what we're going to focus on."
Courtney Menzies:
"Is it that the ministry has increased its spending? That was one of the claims that the spending of the ministry has increased sharply."
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation
"We spend according to the budget that's approved by the Ministry of Finance. So there's no increase."
Reporter:
"How does the ministry ensure that there are safeguards so that things like what is being mentioned in the allegations are not happening? Procurement processes, for example?"
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation
"You see, some people might have the impression that there is money at the ministry. There is no such thing. The the resources, the financial resources of the ministry comes to the Ministry of Finance. There's a lot of procedures and steps to follow in order to get these things done. You have to comply with a lot of rules. There's a lot of procedures, and we have a very competent, professional staff at the ministry. I don't really do that. That is the work of our finance department, who has a head, and they are professionals, and they do their work as they should. And there's a lot of checks and balances in the system. So we are satisfied with what the work we're doing."
"Payments are made according to procedures. The works are ongoing. There was a lull for a brief period because we needed to finish paying for the first phase of the works. And, and so the contractor said, well, I'll have to hold on until I get my payment and then I'll continue with the rest. And so, that, that lull was there, but it's going to continue. And the reason for that is simple. We don't have all the resources all at the same time. You know, so we have to go by steps, and phase to get these things done."
Reporter:
"So it's a fact that the works aren't completed."
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation
"It is a fact that, the works are ongoing."
We also asked him what he thought about the Rural Development Director Charles Galvez's qualifications. He's the Director of Rural Development with a high school diploma and a political pedigree, while three public officers with Master's degrees had hoped to get the job:
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you believe that director Charles Galvez is qualified for the position that he was given that he has a high school education, and there are more senior members of the ministry who would have held that place?"
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation
"I will tell you this. You can have a PhD, but you still need to be able to cross the road without getting hit by a bus. So, can you work? Can you make the work happen? Can you produce? I don't know if that is sufficient. I do believe that the work that our staff do is sufficient. And as a matter of fact, a lot of them go above and beyond, to serve the communities that we serve. And I'm very proud of them. I'm proud of the work that they do. So whatever assertion, these are all negative assertions, that is fine, what matters really is last night, our guys were in Bella Vista, fixing the water system. They finished it at midnight. Nobody was paying attention to that. And, who was directing that? Mr Galvez. It's about getting the work done and if people don't like us getting the work done then that's their problem."
