And until Pinelo presents his case to the ministry, there are other allegations of corruption hovering over the Forestry Department. We have heard more than a few alleging suspect behavior on the part of Forest Officers.
When we asked Habet about this he says that until there is evidence to back the accusations nothing will become of it.
Jo:
"Do you understand the public's and especially stakeholders ' concerns that the Forestry Department is a hotbed of corruption and that there may be a culture of bribery?"
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development & Forestry
"With the department? Hmmmm, you hear things and we have to be based on evidence and if people don't come out with the evidence then we cant really do much about it but I think that we have a process where officers if they are found doing something illegal they have a process that they go through legally because they are public officers and usually that is headed by instructions from the public service if they are public officers, established public officers and if they are just open vote then I think the ministry itself can make a decision on what happens. But accusations of corruption have to be done with evidence so that then something can be done."
