Latest update December 23rd, 2024 3:40 AM
Councillors, Deputy Mayor dismiss corruption claims
Several Councillors including Deputy Mayor, Patricia Green, have dismissed claims that Chairman of Mayor and City Council’s Finance Committee, Junior Garrett, is involved in corrupt practices.
The Councillors are of the belief that Garrett is doing an excellent job that could lead to severe changes in City Hall’s financing system.
They also believe that some persons, who are reluctant to see those changes, have made a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation.
Garrett is being fingered by a few persons within the Municipality in a possible laptop fraud.
Councillor Ranwell Jordan, Finance Chairman Junior Garrett and Deputy Mayor, Patricia Green during the recent press briefing
During a press briefing in the Deputy Mayor’s office on Thursday to clear Garrett’s name, Green said that there are serious administrative flaws in the system and as such it is unfair to cast blame on Garrett.
She stressed that administrative inefficiencies of City Hall are not Councillors’ fault.
Green emphasized that owing to Councillors’ interventions, officers of the Auditor General Office are currently in the Finance Department, investigating the sale of the old incinerator, ‘Old Smoky’, and incentives paid to staff in December 2011.
In February, Garrett’s lone signature appeared on the payment voucher approving the purchase of a laptop computer for the City Treasurer’s Department from a fictitious company. The computer was rented by City Hall from an individual to prepare its budget document.
When that project was completed, the computer was purchased.
Apparently, officials called the number listed for the company on the payment voucher and discovered it was a private residence. The processing of the payment for the computer was halted.
According to Garrett, he had signed the payment voucher for $120,000 but stressed that as the Chairman of the Finance Committee he is only responsible for signing vouchers that are presented to him by the Administration.
He made it clear that ascertaining where the laptop is sourced from is not his responsibility.
“I expect the administration to do that type of work before they bring it to me,” Garrett explained.
The Finance Chairman asserted that the payment voucher he received to sign was with supporting documents prepared by City Hall’s Information Technology Manager, Wayne Wright Orderson.
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