New twist to Trauma Centre saga
DOCTOR Vivek Solanki who has been evicted from the state-of-the-art Trauma Centre Hospital after an ownership wrangle with African Medical Investment (AMI) Plc, has been fingered in a massive fraud scheme, abuse of company funds, theft and has two warrants of arrests in South Africa and Tanzania, a forensic investigation report by PricewatersCoopers (PwC) has revealed.
The forensic investigation unearthed massive abuse of funds resulting in AMI being prejudiced close to US$1 million by Solanki who was the chief executive officer.
“Solanki abused the funds which were being injected in the expansion of this hospital and has tried to confuse everyone including the courts that he owns this hospital. But the judgement by the supreme court shows the judges refused to be misled,” said a source at the hospital.
In an interview with Nehanda Radio AMI group operations manager Peter Annesley said at last justice is prevailing because the hospital has be given to the rightful owners.
“We are grateful with what is happening. The courts use evidence and this is what we have,” Annesley said.
Sources at the Trauma Centre hospital said this case took so long to be settled because Solanki used his political connections to grab the hospital.
“He has always boasted of having political muscle and connected to the intelligence office that no one can evict him,” said the source.
Documents in possession of this paper show that AMI entered into an agreement with Solanki’s company, Meifco Limited in 2008 after AMI had injected £5million to build one or more businesses in the healthcare sector in Africa.
Following the completion of the transaction Solanki became the Group CEO and signed a management agreement which saw his company, Autoband Investment, managing the hospital.
In 2010 the group began to operate at Trauma Centre as Streamleigh Investments.
The forensic investigation report exposed some payments that were being made to suppliers and contractors who were not working on the hospital expansion project and had no supporting documents for some expenses.
“Through the use of forensic technology we noted that Zarina Dudhia, the hospital manager, created fictitious invoices and inflated amounts,” read part of the forensic investigation findings.
“Solanki authorised all the transactions which include overstatement of payments amounted to US$252 433, personal expenditure paid by hospital for the construction and refurbishment of a house at Number 3 St Brelaides Close, Ballantyne Park (US$194 881), withdrawals from the bank but not accounted for (US$355 000), cash not accounted for (US$101 992) and overstatement of payroll expenses (US$52 831), reads the report.
Documents also reveal that Solanki was issued with a warrant of arrest in South Africa.
“Application is hereby made for the issue of a warrant for arrest of Vivek Savji Solanki on a charge of fraud and/or theft there being from the information taken upon oath a reasonable suspicion that he committed the alleged offence between the 1st day of December 2008 and November 2009,” reads part of the warrant.
