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Govt. should conduct forensic audit of City Hall – Jagdeo
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is of the opinion that the David Granger-led administration should order a forensic audit on the affairs of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
He made these remarks on Wednesday at a press conference held at the People’s Progressive Party’s Robb Street headquarters.
Jagdeo said that the government has been selective in the agencies which it has targeted for audits to be done.
According to the former President, the M&CC has been under the control of the People’s National Congress for over 50 years. The PNC is the largest political bloc in A Partnership for National Unity.
Jagdeo believes that the coalition government seems to not be interested with what would have transpired at the council.
He said that the failure of the government to institute an audit is a clear case of bias. He said that the back and forth between government and the council as to what matters of the City is the business of the government is unacceptable.
He went further to say that Central Government is complicit in the arrangement to give the unconscionable contract out for parking meters.
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo
A call for an audit of the council had been forthcoming for quite some time now from the PPP/C, particularly from councillor Bishram Kuppen. He has expressed his dissatisfaction with the manner in which the council has addressed the issue. He said that his requests for an audit have been turned down by the Town Clerk, Royston King.
He explained at an earlier PPP/C press conference that billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being spent without credible financial reports or audits performed. He said that this is required by law under the Municipal and District Councils Act Cap. 28:01 section 177.
This publication had made contact with Mayor Patricia Chase-Green on the issue and she had explained that the only problem stopping Mr. Kuppen’s motion from being tabled at the council’s statutory meeting is the incorrect construction of the document.
She informed that it lacks the essential features of a motion and as such, there was nothing that could have been done about it. She further stated that based on her knowledge, Kuppen has not sought advice from the council on the proper procedure which is to be followed.
She suggested that Kuppen seeks the right legal advice from the many legal minds within the PPP/C party of which he is a representative.
According to the Mayor, her council remains open to being audited. Earlier this year she had reported that back in 2011 and 2012, letters were written to the Office of the Auditor General on three occasions to conduct an audit but there was no intervention. The last known audits were done by Keith Burrowes and Ramon Gaskin, at the expense of the council.
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