After weeks of public silence and growing public pressure, Home Affairs Minister Oscar Mira has addressed long-circulating allegations that his close relatives secured millions of dollars in unfair, improperly awarded government contracts. The high-profile controversy has raised significant questions about ethical governance and transparency in public procurement, prompting the minister’s first on-the-record response to the claims.
Mira, who had been unavailable for media comment for multiple weeks, pushed back against claims of personal involvement in the controversial contract awards. He emphasized that all public procurement committees are formally administered and overseen by the Ministry of Finance, not individual cabinet ministers, and stated he has never held a seat on any such committee — nor has he ever attempted to interfere in their decision-making processes.
“All open tenders are publicly advertised in national newspapers,” Mira explained to reporters. “Any eligible interested party can submit an application and complete the required processes to bid. Those bids then go through a lengthy, formal evaluation process. I had no decision-making authority, and I was never part of any of these committees.” He stressed that any contracts awarded to members of his family were secured through independent, legitimate processes, with no input or influence from him at any stage.
When questioned about reports that contract payments were deliberately structured to stay below a $10,000 reporting threshold — a tactic that would allow the deals to bypass formal Treasury oversight, and a common red flag for potential financial misconduct — Mira did not dismiss the validity of public concern. “I do not think that anyone wouldn’t be concerned,” he acknowledged. “But was anything illegally done? I do not know.”
The minister admitted that even without proven wrongdoing, the situation creates an unflattering public perception that erodes trust. “I believe that it is probably something that, in every crisis, you learn from, and I myself am trying to make sure that I learn from this,” he said.
Throughout his first media briefing on the controversy, Mira repeatedly clarified the scope of his role as Home Affairs Minister, noting his portfolio is focused exclusively on broad policy development and daily ministry operations, not financial management or public procurement. He reiterated that he has never served on a procurement committee during his tenure in any government ministry. Full additional details of the briefing and on-the-record comments will be broadcast in a special segment on News 5 Live at 6 p.m. this evening.