| By Kiana Wilburg The government’s sloth or indecisiveness over the forensic audits is becoming worrying to the nation, expressed University Professor, Dr. David Hinds in a recent interview with this publication.Dr. Hinds also noted that the failure of the administration to act expeditiously on the release of the reports as well as act on the recommendations to have defaulters before the court for crimes committed, is going to be an issue during the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE).It was last May that the Granger administration began expending some $133M of taxpayers’ dollars on a series of forensic audits to ascertain how the assets of the State were sold, disposed of or transferred during the previous administration.Now,Adam Shaheen Jersey, some seven months later, most of the completed reports on several agencies are yet to be read and handed over to Cabinet. The only report to date that has been discussed by Cabinet and has seen action being taken recently, related to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).But in the face of mounting criticisms, several members of the Government have called on the nation to exercise “patience”.Dr. Hinds commented, “President David Granger’s recent plea for patience and suggestion that they have not yet accumulated the evidence needed for prosecution makes some sense. But, politically it puts a damper on the expectations of Government supporters.”The University lecturer said, however, that the government has found itself between a rock and a hard place.He said, “Government has not found a way yet to balance its campaign promise on this matter with the pressures I am sure it is getting from powerful elements in the society to do otherwise. As such it is being very cautious partly because it is mindful of the effect of the PPP’s propaganda that it is engaged in witch-hunting and ethnic cleansing.“I also think that some of the more powerful interest groups are lobbying the government to go easy on the matter. This is one of the difficulties of governing in countries such as Guyana.”Dr Hinds said that the private sector is very powerful as they often have resources that the parties in government may have benefitted from when in opposition and so they have leverage.He said, “Many in the private sector, for example, are very nervous when it comes to fundamental change. Many of them would have become accustomed to the status quo and may have benefitted from the corruption. Then there is the question of the coalition itself.”“We don’t know if all the parties are on the same page when it comes to how to act based on the findings of the audits. My guess is that there is no consensus. But the government would be forced to act very soon. I am sure this will be an issue during the LGE campaign. And the coalition’s supporters are very fixated on justice; it means a lot to them. The coalition would have to decide whether it pleases the special interest lobby or its own supporters.”Minister of State, Joseph Harmon,Cheap Shoes Uk Wholesale, had denied the claims that Government is delaying the release of the completed forensic audit reports.He had said,Vans Old Skool Wholesale, “I don’t know what you perceive to be delays, but I can say that when they get to Cabinet, we will get to them. Let me explain that when an audit is done, the audited entity receives the report and does some evaluation. The Board has to have an opportunity to study the report and then it is taken by the subject Minister to Cabinet…”He continued,Aron Baynes Jersey, “I do not understand that there is any delay in it. The audit work is not something you rush. Sometimes you have statements that are made which need to be followed up and this is my experience in looking at these things, because the auditors may come to certain conclusions without the benefit of all of the information.”Most of the forensic audits have unearthed several hidden accounts with billions of dollars poised to be transferred to the Consolidated Fund in a phased manner. This has already started.More importantly, the forensic audits in some cases have not only uncovered fraud and various forms of corruption, but investigators have also made several critical recommendations for the way forward on several agencies and sectors, all of which Cabinet is yet to see.The forensic audit into the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) has unearthed some of the “most appalling acts of corruption”, said Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma, in a previous interview with Kaieteur News.Commenting on the findings of the report, Sharma had said, “There was just no proper management at this unit. There were instances where you could see that they just lost out on millions of dollars worth in fees that they should have ensured they collected. There were some defaulters as well, and the agency just took no action against them.”“(NFMU) could have collected a lot more revenue. Instead (the entity) allowed a lot of favouritism to take place and as such they lost, I would say, millions of dollars in revenue.“They allowed their big PPP boys to slip under the radar while others were called upon to pay their dues. In fact,Alex Okafor Jersey, they weren’t collecting from two of their PPP big boys for some time. It was a lot of unfairness that was going on at that agency.”Sharma had said, “The level of corruption which was taking place at the agency points to the incompetency of those who are managing it.”The Junior Finance Minister had told this newspaper that the revelations of some of the forensic audits thus far vindicate the concerns the APNU+AFC had regarding the lack of accountability under the previous administration as well as the stench of corruption in some agencies.As for the forensic audit launched into the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Sharma who is in charge of the audits, revealed that this has been completed since August. He had said that the audit uncovered that the entity has been holding some 15 accounts with millions of dollars.A reliable source revealed that the monies total over $400M.Kaieteur News understands that recommendations were made for the monies to be transferred to the Consolidated Fund.The Forensic audit revealed that the agency was apparently receiving monies from various sources and opening a new account every time it received large sums.Sharma explained that the agency should not have done that. He said that it should have held one account and categorized its expenses.The Environmental Protection Agency was established on World Environment Day, June 5, 1996. It was on this date that the then Acting President of Guyana, Samuel Hinds,Wholesale Adidas NHL Jerseys, assented to Environmental Protection Act (No 11, 1996).The Act mandates the Agency to oversee the effective management, conservation, protection and improvement of the environment.It also requires that the Agency takes the necessary measures to ensure the prevention and control of pollution, assessment of the impact of economic development on the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources.The Agency’s work enables Guyana to contribute to global and national environmental protection and conservation.As part of its work the EPA implements education, regulation and enforcement programmes and uses partnership and collaborative approaches to strengthen the impact of its interventions. |
