National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson allegedly tried to cover up a reported NIB policy violation in which a $15,000 payment to Doctors Hospital was authorized.
Information about this guarantee was revealed when suspended NIB Director Algernon Cargill filed court documents. The documents claimed that former NIB Chairman Gregory Moss violated company policy when he instructed NIB’s senior deputy director to authorize the $15,000 payment to cover a woman’s heart surgery. The Board was informed of this decision at an August 30 meeting.
According to the court documents:
“Mr Moss subsequently advised the Board that prior to his instruction to Mrs Cecile Bethel (Senior Deputy Director), he had been advised that this type of advance did not fit into NIB’s statutory benefit parameters.
“A member of the Board reprimanded the chairman… stating the chairman had compromised his position as chairman.”
“The payment for this guarantee was provided to me by attorney, Ms Melissa Hall, and not Mr Gregory Moss, on the direction of the Minister Shane Gibson, with further instructions to meet with Doctors Hospital and request that the hospital not bill NIB for the illegal guarantee issued by Cecile Bethel on the direction of Gregory Moss.”
Mr Gibson’s provision of the payment via an attorney was used as an example of his attempt to cover up the violation.
Minister Shane Gibson was reportedly outraged over the illegal guarantee to Doctors Hospital and contacted Director Cargill to determine why NIB had issued it. Allegedly, once Mr Cargill explained the circumstances to Minister Gibson, the minister then sought replacement funds from a donor and went about recalling the guarantee from Doctors Hospital.
The question is why did Minister Gibson feel it was necessary to cover up the illegal guarantee?
