GFC implements all “relevant” changes recommended in forensic audit report

Mar 05, 2018 News

The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has reportedly implemented all the recommendations that former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran made in his forensic audit report of the entity.
Goolsarran was contracted by the Government of Guyana in 2015 to carry out a forensic audit on some state agencies, including the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) and GFC.
Both reports were damning. Both entities responded to the findings.

GFC Chairman, James Singh

NICIL had reported that it implemented almost 80 percent of the recommendations.
Recently, GFC hosted a press conference at which Commissioner James Singh was asked about the implementation of the recommendations.
He said, “The GFC Board of Directors had a detailed review of the forensic audit and they have implemented the measures that they thought were relevant; so yes, the recommendations of the forensic audit have all been implemented.”
The recommendations made by Goolsarran were vast and detailed.
In relation to the functioning of the Board, Goolsarran recommended that the Minister, acting in accordance with Section 2 (3) of the Schedule to the Act, revokes the appointment of a member for absence without approval for more than three consecutive meetings of the Commission, or for more than four meetings in any one year. It may be desirable for the Schedule to be amended to make attendance at board meetings a statutory requirement. This recommendation was made in view of the fact that most members in the previous system used to be absent from meetings very often.
Goolsarran also recommended that the tenure of appointment of the Commissioners should be for two or three years, as opposed to the one-year tenure, to allow for continuity, notwithstanding that there is provision for renewal and Given the detailed responsibilities of the Commission for ensuring that Guyana’s forest resources are sustainably managed and conserved as well as for encouraging the development and growth of forestry, consideration should be given to the appointment of a full-time Chairman to oversee the management of the organization and to lend additional support to its efficient and effective functioning, without getting involved in policy execution. There have been no reports of a full time chairman and there continues to be yearly renewals.

Goolsarran has recommended a restriction on the exportation of certain species of forest produce in log form. This has been done.
His recommendations on BaiShanLin were vast. All have been implemented and BaiShanLin no longer operates legally in Guyana.
Goolsarran has recommended that GFC secure membership of the Institute of Internal Auditors in order to ensure compliance with the IIA Standards in the conduct of its audits. There has been no report of this happening.
He said too that the Commission should take urgent measures to set up a reserve fund not only to ensure compliance with Section 16 with the GFC Act but also to provide funds in event of financial difficulty in any particular year. Goolsarran said that this is likely to obviate the need for recourse to the Consolidated Fund to meet any shortfall in funding. Nothing has been heard about the establishment of a reserve fund.

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