Town Clerk keeps blocking motion for forensic audit—says councilor

Latest News

Town Clerk keeps blocking motion for forensic audit—says councilor

Aug 09, 2016 News

A councilor of the Mayor and City Councilors (M&CC) of Georgetown, believes that Town Clerk Royston King is deliberately blocking his motion for an audit of City Hall.
This was disclosed during a press conference at PPP/C’s head office yesterday.
Bishram Kuppen, who is a PPP/C representative at the M&CC, said that he is “deeply troubled about what is going on at City Hall, regarding the lack of accountability and transparency, as it relates to the City’s finances.
“Billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being spent without any credible financial reports or audits performed for the money spent as required by the Municipal & District Councils Act Chap 28:01 Sect 177.”
He said that he contested the local government elections because he wanted to help bring about improved services and facilities, better markets, efficient management of the City’s affairs.
He added that more importantly, transparency and accountability for taxpayers’ money is tantamount, because the City has been “mired in accusations of corruption and mismanagement for decades now.”
“I have consistently called for a forensic audit to be conducted of the City of Georgetown finances, and I am not the only one who has been calling for this forensic audit.
“When any new Council takes over, it should be presented with an audited financial statement of the Council’s finances from the Auditor General, as soon as possible.”
Noting that there is a widespread perception that corruption is rampant at City Hall, Kuppen said that the common perception is further “fueled by the lack of accountability for hundreds of millions of dollars spent on projects with no public tendering, improper financial reporting, four hidden bank accounts which are not included in any financial reports to Councilors and financial deficits being reported on a consistent basis every month.”
He said that he has attempted to move a Motion for a Forensic Audit on three occasions by submitting a written request to the Mayor and Town Clerk to have the Motions included on the Agenda for the Statutory Meeting.
“On each occasion, the Town Clerk responded that he found fault with the motions but did not advise what those deficiencies were.”
“It is my firm belief that my Motion for a forensic audit is being deliberately blocked by the Town Clerk and others. The City of Georgetown is not an independent sovereign state, and it is in the interest of all citizens and the Central Government to ensure that a forensic audit is conducted of the City’s finances as soon as possible.”
Kuppen vowed to continue pressing for an audit of City Hall.

1 thoughts on “Town Clerk keeps blocking motion for forensic audit—says councilor”

george wiltshire August 9, 2016 at 1:31 pm

Come on let there be an audit of the council. The man is not asking for life. He is asking for honesty to be brought to the fore.

Comments are closed.

“One Guyana” is no less a national slogan than “Green Guyana”

Kaieteur News- The notion that “One Guyana” is a partisan slogan is pure poppycock. It is a desperate fiction... more

If Guyana’s President Ali is the “Zelensky of the Caribbean”, who is the Putin?

Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS, Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- In the latest... more

Partner v. investor

Hard Truths… By GHK Lall Kaieteur News- Guyana is a partner, not an investor, in that oil bonanza out there. Is... more

Latest News