NDIA audit report…Internal auditor breached admin protocol, procedure - Corlette

NDIA audit report…Internal auditor breached admin protocol, procedure – Corlette

Oct 26, 2012 News

The saga involving the contentious audit report on the operations of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has taken an interesting twist, with Chairman of Region Four Democratic Council, Clement Corlette, criticizing the approach taken by the entity’s Internal Auditor.
Corlette was referring to the move by the internal auditor to send his initial report to President Donald Ramotar, bypassing the Minister of Agriculture and other Directors of the NDIA Board.

CLEMENT CORLETTE

In a letter to the Chairman of the NDIA Board of Directors, Dharmkumar Seeraj, Corlette wrote that while he is satisfied that the remit of the Internal Auditor to investigate areas of activity assigned is legal, he is not satisfied that the officer can properly send his report and findings straight to the President.
“It is a breach of administrative protocol and procedure,” the Regional Chairman wrote.
The audit on the NDIA’s fuel consumption and equipment operations and maintenance, was conducted between May and September. It was completed and submitted to the Chairman of the NDIA Board of Directors on September 26.
The report concluded that fraudulent acts were committed by NDIA Chief Executive Officer Lionel Wordsworth and Senior Section Engineer (SSE) Mr. Aneel Chowbay, in breach of the Procurement Act 2003.
It speaks of conflict of interest and sole sourcing of services such as the supply of fuel and the awarding of contracts to relations of senior NDIA operatives, in breach of national procurement procedures.
Since the publication, the Ministry of Agriculture has sought to discredit the author of the audit report and there are reports that the Auditor is under tremendous pressure to retain his job.
The Ministry had described the report as unsubstantiated by a person who has a personal agenda.
The Internal Auditor is the Head of the Inspectorate Department of the NDIA which was set up following a meeting of the Board earlier this year.
This body’s duty is to provide oversight of the management of the D&I infrastructure.
Additionally, the Board had also agreed to establish a Finance Committee and a Works Committee to oversee payments and the work programme respectively.
The Board had also agreed and recommended that payments for works executed by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority shall be subject to approval by the Board. However this has not been implemented as yet.
Breaches of some of these agreed procedures were highlighted in the audit report.
But according to the Region Four Chairman, it was the decision of the NDIA Board of Directors to establish the Inspectorate Department in its deliberate judgement.
However in the same vein, the NDIA Board is the competent authority to receive the report and determine the way forward.
“I submit that the board is competent to determine any consequences to impose for mismanagement of its resources,” Corlette wrote.
The report was leaked to this newspaper, angering Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who is also of the view that the Auditor breached administrative procedure.
Board Chairman Dhamkumar Seeraj had told this newspaper that he was awaiting a final report before making any decision, since the initial report was merely a draft.
According to the NDIA Chairman, the audit report must first be commented on, and a final report prepared.