Two weeks before 2015 elections…Valmiki Singh took $9.6M in annual leave payment –Forensic audit

May 28, 2016 News

…No records to verify his annual leave claim
Based on its examination of the employees’ personal records at the National Frequency Management Unit

Valmiki Singh, NFMU Managing Director

(NFMU), forensic auditors found that there was “gross abuse” by the Managing Director, Valmiki Singh, regarding the annual leave system.
In their audit report, the forensic team from Ram and McRae, Chartered Accountants, said that records show that Singh sought and obtained payment for leave not taken over an 11-year period.
The auditors said that the NFMU Head did so less than two weeks before the May 11, 2015 elections. At that time, they said that he wrote a letter to Dr. Roger Luncheon, former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, requesting payment for what he claimed to be 326 leave days accumulated over the years between January, 2004 and December, 2014.
They said that attached to the letter was a computation of Mr. Singh’s outstanding leave days which was prepared by the NFMU’s Finance Controller.
The auditors however noted that the unavailability of documented application and approval of the leave carryover prevented any effort to verify the accuracy of the number of accumulated leave days.
The forensic auditing team said that under the Public Service Rules, leave may be deferred and added to the following year’s vacation. The deferral was “required in writing”.
Dr. Luncheon approved Mr. Singh’s request via letter dated April 30, 2015 and a total of $6.7 million was remitted to Mr. Singh after income tax totaling $2.9 million was deducted from the gross amount of $9.6 million.

Forensic Auditor, Chris Ram

The auditors said that it is considered dangerous to the organization as well as unhealthy for individuals, particularly those in a position of trust and responsibility, not to take their annual leave. They therefore recommended that this practice be discontinued forthwith.
They also recommended that the services of the Accountant be otherwise utilized or transferred since his only responsibility was to manage the expenses of other government entities, a practice which the auditors believe should cease.