Former General Manager of the National Kidney Foundation has been terminated as a result of recommendations put forth by Cabinet based on Audit Reports.

Leaupepe Peni Matautia was appointed General Manager on the 15th of June 2005 on a three year term but the contract has been terminated almost a year short of its duration.

Both the Minster of Health and the Chief Executive Officer are overseas at the moment so were unavailable for comment however the Acting Chief Executive Officer Pelenatete Stowers confirmed the decision made by Cabinet to Newsline yesterday.

She says that Leaupepe has been informed of the decision and she explains that it was based solely on Audit Reports revealing mismanagement within the National Kidney Foundation of Samoa while Leaupepe was in charge.

Under her charge the services of Financial Manager of the Dialysis Unit were also terminated based on allegations of having pocketed $47,000.00 through the use of a forged cheque.

A spot check by the Auditors Office into the Accounts of the Unit uncovered the discrepancies in its financial operations at the time.

Newsline contacted Leaupepe who was reluctant to comment because she says the issue is delicate and fragile at the moment.

She did maintain that the decision was unjust.

“I believe that this was very unfair, there were never any charges against me.”

She is currently in the process of writing a formal letter to submit to the Minister demanding clarification of the accusations against her including the issues involved.

She adds that she was only given two working days to comment on the Audit Report but was denied access to records involved in the matter.

She asserts that natural justice was not observed in the matter.

In a previous interview with the Minister of Health regarding issues also related to the NKF, Hon. Gatoloaifaana Amataga Gidlow she said that, “all donations received through the kidney foundation are safely deposited under term accounts in the bank, so all that is secured.”

The National Kidney Foundation of Samoa is currently operating on a budget of ST$2.6 million, with fixed deposits of $300,000 collected from donors to the kidney foundation.

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