No severance for disgraced former AHS official
Posted Aug 6, 2012 11:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There will be no severance package for the former chief financial officer of Alberta Health Services.
Allaudin Merali resigned last week following the release of a freedom of information request showing expenses claimed by Merali between 2005 and 2008.
In three years, Merali claimed more than $346,000 in expenses when he was with the Capital Health Region.
They ranged from lavish dinners to flights and repairs to his Mercedes Benz.
Health Minister Fred Horne tells 660News, when it comes to an independent forensic financial audit, “Nothing would be allowed to be swept under the carpet and that I would keep asking questions and I would keep providing direction until I was satisfied that all the information was available for everyone to review because it’s only when we do that, that we can make decisions and establish policies that will make sure this never happens again.”
Following Merali’s resignation, former CEO and member of the AHS board Sheila Weatherill also stepped down.
For the three years in question, Weatherill was responsible for approving all of Merali’s expenditures.
Meanwhile, Liberal MLA of Calgary-Buffalo, Kent Hehr wasn’t shocked by the scandal, pointing out Merali had similar issues in previous roles before being appointed as Chief Financial Officer.
Hehr’s calling for a change to how top officials are hired and says, “I would like to see government jobs go to people of merit who have been thoroughly vetted, who do not necessarily have a close working relationship with members of the government and to have an open and honest hiring system.”
Wildrose Justice and Solicitor General critic Shane Saskiw is critical of Conservatives who are satisfied with this move.
“I don’t think the PCs should be patting themselves on the back for not giving a half million dollar severance to someone who’s only worked for Alberta Health Services for three months and has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. This is someone that was appointed by Premier Redford, they have to take accountability.”
Saskiw believes if there’s wrongdoing with the severance received in 2009 from Capital Health, than the Redford government should force him to pay it back.
