President Irfaan Ali yesterday announced a major shuffling of permanent secretaries, just over three years after his government took office and after the resignation of a minister who was at the centre of a rape probe.
The President announced the following appointments of Permanent Secretaries in eight Government Ministries.
The Head of State has appointed two new Permanent Secretaries, namely Adele Diane Tricia Cole-Clarke to the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Miguel Shaun Choo-Kang, former Head of Regional Planning in the State Planning Unit of the Ministry of Finance, to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.
Six Permanent Secretaries have been re-assigned to the following Ministries:
Alfred Roland King as Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister;
Shannielle Hoosein-Outar as Perma-nent Secretary in the Ministry of Educa-tion;
Prema Anastasia Roopnarine as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security;
Bishram Kuppen as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Water;
Andre Inshan Ally as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs;
Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas-Meerabux as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour.
Toussaint Jr. Thomas-Meerabux was engulfed earlier this year by controversy after it was revealed that her cellphone had been confiscated in Miami by US authorities and her visa later revoked. It is believed that this made her continued presence at the Home Affairs Ministry problematic.
In July, Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall resigned after being at the centre of a rape probe during which he was arrested. He resigned after the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions advised that there was no basis for bringing a rape charge against him.
There was no word in the announcement yesterday about Derrick Cummings who previously served as Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister.
