Accountant detained after arson attempt at Ministry

Jun 05, 2015 News

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– Former minister unaware of misuse of funds

One day after an attempted torching of the Ministry of Communities in Kingston, investigators yesterday held a senior official of its Finance Department.

Police sources confirmed that an accountant of the Ministry was detained after he was grilled.
On Wednesday afternoon, shortly after Internal Auditors started a probe into last year’s spending of a $1B project to ‘clean up Guyana,’ staffers were alerted to smoke in the building which houses the Audit Office and the office of Minister Ronald Bulkan.
What fire investigators found initially was startling. There was an obvious attempt to set the building on fire as evidenced from kerosene found at the scene. Two chairs and the walls were badly damaged. It was in a room not far from the Audit Office which reportedly held receipts and other documents pertaining to the spending. The building is largely a wooden one.
Yesterday, investigators reportedly viewed video footage from security cameras and noticed a male bearing what appeared to be a container heading into the room where the fire started.
Based on investigations, the accountant was picked up, questioned and later arrested.
Permanent Secretary, Emil Mc Garrell, disclosed that police were carrying out their investigations with a statement expected after it is completed.
Yesterday also, former Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, in a statement said he is unaware of any issues with respect to the intentional misuse or mismanagement of cleanup resources which “were never brought before me or the Committee or the Cabinet and not addressed.”
That ministry has been merged with the Ministry of Housing and Water

to create the Ministry of Communities.
The new Government, under President David Granger, had vowed to review spending for a number of projects that were implemented by the previous administration.
With heavy rains over the weekend which left several parts of the city flooded, the spotlight had come down on the $1B cleanup project by the previous Government.
Minister Bulkan and staffers reportedly found wheelbarrows, tools and other supplies in the Ministry’s boardroom last week.
Ministry sources disclosed that following Wednesday’s incidents, steps have been taken to beef up security at Kingston offices and secure the records.

AGGRIEVED
Meanwhile, according to former Minister Whittaker yesterday in a statement, recent newspaper articles on the arson attempt have created the “perception, real/imagined, that the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development which I headed may have been guilty of mismanagement of the funds made available by the PPP/C Government for the countrywide cleanup.”
He said that after reading a report of the story, and in the satirical column ‘Dem Boys Seh’, in the Kaieteur News, he is offended, and “of the opinion that any reasonable person would read it the same way: “Whittaker mismanaged the funds and the recent ‘arson attempt’ was an attempt to conceal whatever documentation there is at the Ministry”. I ask you all to randomly interview any staff of the Ministry on this matter and if you come across even one who can speak of ‘ former Minister Whittaker’s dishonesty’; bring me in guilty. I am upset, and so too is my family with the content of these articles. The authors did not even seek my comments. How sad! How unfair!”
At no time did Kaieteur News mention Mr. Whittaker’s name.
He pointed out that fortnightly reports of the project detailing work in progress, the procurement of goods and financial reports with respect to finances approved and provided through the Ministry of Finance, were submitted by the Head of the Technical Planning and Implementation Committee for the project.
“And may I add that this Committee saw representation from a number of Ministries besides the Ministry of Local Government and included also representation from the Georgetown Municipality.”
He said that the attempted arson apparently following closely on a ministerial order to have a forensic audit of the project done and “has obviously caused some to attribute nefarious ulterior motives for the act while the impact of the recent flooding has been attributed by others to poor planning and implementation in the design and implementation of the cleanup project.”

NO WAY
Whittaker insisted that as the minister charged with implementation of the project, he could not place $1B in the hands of the Georgetown City Council which had “shown the lack of will and ability to manage” rate payers money and which “clearly demonstrated that transparency and accountability were not integral to their work”.
The former minister said that it was never the expectation that the project that flooding would cease and garbage in public spaces would become a habit of the past.
“Public education and awareness and the sustaining of the Project by the Local Authority legally authorized were determined to be prerequisites to the sustenance of the project.”
He said that the project provided an opportunity for consultation and employment of persons from their respective communities.
“The people of Albouystown, East Ruimveldt, Alberttown, Lodge, Agricola, Alexander Village etc… would I am sure attest to this fact.”
Whittaker pointed out that he was instrumental in establishing the Audit Department which will be probing the $1B spending.
“I may not have been at the Ministry long enough to analyse the work of the Department but I am happy to see it start its work. I proudly leave with those who would wish to tarnish/blemish my more than four decades of honest, unblemished public service to my fellow Guyanese: a commitment to continue to serve with diligence, humility and honesty. I know of no other way.”

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