MEDITECH's Lack of Beneficial Ownership Return Triggers Probe By Entity That Registers and Renews Government Contractors
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The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) says it has now “commenced an investigation” following questions from 18° North about how it could have earlier this month renewed the registration of Medical Technologies (MEDITECH) Limited to be able to continue getting government contracts—seemingly in contravention of its own law.
18° North had previously reported that MEDITECH - at the center of a controversy over a $31.5 million (US$200,151) neurosurgical drill sold to the government’s South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) - had received over $201 million (US$1.85 million) in public contracts between 2008 and 2020, and the drill deal awarded in 2024 suggests it had continued to get taxpayer-funded contracts past this time period.
Section 4 (3)(c) of The Public Procurement (Registration and Classification of Suppliers) Regulations, 2019 states that the Commission may renew the supplier’s registration if it is satisfied that “during the preceding registration period, the applicant has not engaged in any conduct amounting to a contravention of the Act or any other relevant law.”
And yet, the Milverton Reynolds-chaired PPC, which is the public entity that registers and renews government contractors, renewed MEDITECH’s registration for three years, effective June 2, 2025, despite a public revelation two weeks earlier that the company has a trustee shareholder, possibly violating Section 23A of the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2023, which prohibits nominee shareholders for Jamaican companies. Furthermore, MEDITECH also has no beneficial ownership form on file at the Companies Office, another potential breach. Section 377A(1)(c) mandates that companies file this return annually.
