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Alleged $120M fraud…Ex-minister’s former assistant questioned, released on station bail
Days after being charged with the illegal transfers of a number of state vehicles, a former Public Service Ministry staffer is again at the centre of investigations by the police.
For questioning:
Dr. Jennifer Westford
Yesterday, Margaret Cummings, former Chief Personnel Officer of the Ministry, turned up at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, in relation to a $120M complaint regarding to missing monies.
Cummings was released late yesterday afternoon on bail and is to report again this morning as investigations continue, a senior police official disclosed.
It is expected that very shortly, former Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, will be called in for questioning.
Last week, in bombshell revelations, Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, said that Government has found more than $120M unaccounted for at the Ministry. The monies were reportedly withdrawn between February and April, when Guyana was preparing for the General and Regional Elections on May 11.
The monies were reportedly earmarked for training of staffers at the regional levels and withdrawn in tranches. However, checks with the intended recipients found that the withdrawn sums, each tranche to the tune of tens of millions, never reached the intended regions.
Trotman had indicated that the matter was handed over to the police.
Investigators have reportedly been questioning staffers involved in the preparation of payments at the ministry. The idea was to determine if the procedures were breached.
The questioning will now involve Westford and other senior officials who are either working at the Ministry
On bail: Margaret Cummings
and those who are no longer there.
That particular ministry has been under a cloud since the David Granger-led administration took office in May.
President Granger himself has said that he wants an overhaul to ensure a professional public service that has no political leanings and one that is people-friendly.
However, a number of questionable transactions have since come to light which is raising alarming questions into the administration of the Public Service Ministry.
For example, the new administration reportedly found several vehicles belonging to the state which were ordered transferred to private individuals.
In all, some 20-odd vehicles were requested to be transferred.
Based on investigations, Westford and Cummings were both criminally charged and appeared in court last week for eight of the vehicles. They were placed on $800,000 and $1.2M bail respectively.
According to Minister Trotman last Wednesday on the missing money, “tens of millions” appeared to be missing. He warned that there is an ongoing investigation with things “bubbling up from the deep” by the day. He stressed that he was not “pinpointing a Minister”, but rather attention is being paid to the activities of the Ministry.
A senior Government official had said that monies were withdrawn over a period of time, reportedly for use in the various regions. However, while the money was withdrawn, it was not delivered to where it was supposed to go.
Pic filed as Margaret cummings
Caption: On bail: Margaret Cummings
Pic filed as Jennifer westford
Caption: For questioning: Dr. Jennifer Westford
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